Word
innings
Phoneticsin·nings
US/ˈɪnɪŋz/
UK/ɪnnˈɪŋz/
Definitions
01cricket/sport
n. a period in a game of cricket during which a team or a player bats.
n. the division of a cricket match during which one side or an individual player takes a turn to bat. Usually takes a singular verb despite the 's' ending.
“The opening batsman played a brilliant innings and scored over a hundred runs.”
“After a shaky start, the captain anchored the innings, allowing the middle order to play more expansively as the pitch dried out.”
British English
Usage
In British English, 'innings' is the singular form; 'inning' is the American equivalent used in baseball.
Pitfall
The team played a great inning.
The team played a great innings.
In British English and cricket, the word 'innings' is used for both singular and plural contexts.
02period of power
n. a period of time when a person or group is in charge or has control.
n. a period of time during which a person, party, or organisation is in power or has the opportunity to achieve something.
“The prime minister had a long innings, leading the country for over a decade.”
“The outgoing CEO had a successful innings, overseeing a period of unprecedented growth and technological transition for the firm.”
British English · Formal
03a person's life
n. a person's life, especially when they have lived for a long time.
n. a metaphorical reference to a person's lifespan, typically used when someone dies at an advanced age.
“Grandfather was ninety-five when he died, so he certainly had a good innings.”
“While the family was saddened by his passing, they took comfort in the fact that he had enjoyed a remarkably long and healthy innings.”
British English · Humorous
Teaching tip
This is often used as a lighthearted or euphemistic way to talk about death when the person was very old.
Real-World Examples
“His innings finally came to an end when he drove a Nathan Lyon delivery to Mitchell Starc at long-off during the afternoon session.” “The pair put on 102 runs and took Bangladesh to 138-2, 60 runs behind the Australian first innings.” Etymology
From the old verb inn (“to house corn”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/innings