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extra innings

extra innings

6 3.7
Teams play more innings after nine to decide the winner of a tied baseball game
  • noun
  • /ˈɛkstrə ˈɪnɪŋz/
translation icon : entradas adicionales
  • The teams were tied at the end of nine innings, so they continued playing extra innings.
  • go into extra innings
  • won in extra innings
  • extra innings game

Examples

Synonyms

overtime
vsextra innings
  • US
65 2.8

An extra period of play to break a tie

continues by full game rounds until one side leads at round end
extra time
vsextra innings
3 3.0

Time added to a tied game to decide the winner

continues by full game rounds until one side leads at round end
overtime period
vsextra innings
  • US
1 3.1

Extra time played after normal time when the score is tied to decide a winner

continues by full game rounds until one side leads at round end

Surface Forms

extra innings singular
extra innings plural

Morphology

extra + inning

The meaning 'additional innings' is directly and compositionally derived from 'extra' (more/additional) + 'inning' (a period of play in baseball). A B1 learner who knows both constituent words (including the baseball sense of 'inning') can readily infer that 'extra innings' are additional periods played after the regular game, so the phrase is transparent.

Etymology

Extra innings comes from baseball: when a game is 'tied' after the regular nine innings, teams play extra innings until one team leads. So extra innings means 'extra time' or more chances to decide a winner.