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

2

: 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

While her confidence took a battering [=was damaged], she kept a game face throughout the season.

—Sally Bedell Smith

Examples of battering in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

First-round pick Gleb Pugachyov is the epitome of filling that need, a 6-foot-3, 224-pound battering ram of a winger who has some skill to complement that physicality. — Corey Pronman, New York Times, 26 June 2026

In a 3-0 battering of Scotland, manager Carlo Ancelotti appeased the people of Miami with a Neymar cameo. — David Hickey, NBC news, 25 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

Word History

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing battering

• battering ram
• take a battering

Rhymes for battering

• chattering
• clattering
• flattering
• pattering
• scattering
• shattering
• smattering
• spattering
• backscattering
• unflattering