battering
noun
bat·ter·ing
ˈba-tə-riŋ 
1
: violent physical abuse that usually involves the act of striking someone repeatedly or heavily in order to cause injury
Feminists turned violence against women, previously a well-kept secret, into a public political issue; made rape, incest, battering and sexual harassment understood as crimes; and got public funding for shelters for battered women.—
The Nation
The Nation2
: a damaging experience or situation : an injury, setback, or defeat
That was the year Canada rebounded from a 28–4 battering in the round-robin to beat the U.S. 17–16 in the championship final …—Bob Kravitz
Bob KravitzWhile her confidence took a battering [=was damaged], she kept a game face throughout the season.—Sally Bedell Smith
Sally Bedell SmithExamples of battering in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Video footage of the raid shows officers wearing suits of mascots Maple the Moose and Clutch the Bald Eagle while smashing through a metal gate with a battering ram.
—Matt Moret, New York Times, 13 June 2026
Perhaps this depiction seems obvious, but this is a team whose image has taken a battering over the last few years.
—Beau Dure, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
To see it and to hear it, though — that’s the full wallop to the sternum, the battering ram that doesn’t simply destroy but cracks through, making way for a torrent of light and producing a thousand shimmering fragments.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 20 May 2026
Times have changed dramatically, and Labour’s recent battering came at the hands of the ascendant anti-immigrant Reform UK party on the right and, to a lesser-extent, the eco-populist Greens on the left.
—ABC News, 16 May 2026
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Matt Moret, New York Times, 13 June 2026
Perhaps this depiction seems obvious, but this is a team whose image has taken a battering over the last few years.
—Beau Dure, Forbes.com, 31 May 2026
To see it and to hear it, though — that’s the full wallop to the sternum, the battering ram that doesn’t simply destroy but cracks through, making way for a torrent of light and producing a thousand shimmering fragments.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 20 May 2026
Times have changed dramatically, and Labour’s recent battering came at the hands of the ascendant anti-immigrant Reform UK party on the right and, to a lesser-extent, the eco-populist Greens on the left.
—ABC News, 16 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for battering
Cite this Entry
“Battering.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/battering. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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