strikeout
UK: ˈstraɪkaʊt | US: ˈstraɪkaʊt
n. an out in baseball made by a batter charged with three strikes
n. a horizontal line drawn through text to indicate deletion
vt. to delete or cancel by drawing a line through
vi. (baseball) to be called out on three strikes
The term emerged in the mid-19th century in baseball, combining "strike" (a failed hit attempt) with "out" (removal from play). Later, it extended to textual editing, metaphorically "removing" words by striking through them. The logic reflects physical action (hitting/marking) leading to a result (exclusion).
The pitcher recorded a strikeout in the ninth inning.
Use a red pen to strikeout errors in the document.
She tends to strikeout when facing fast pitches.
The editor suggested a strikeout for the redundant phrase.
His high strikeout rate worried the coaches.