batted; batting
1
: to strike or hit with or as if with a bat
2
a
: to advance (a base runner) by batting
b
: to have a batting average of
3
: to discuss at length : consider in detail
1
a
: to strike or hit a ball with a bat
b
: to take one's turn at bat
2
: to wander aimlessly
plural bats
: any of a widely distributed order (Chiroptera) of nocturnal usually frugivorous or insectivorous flying mammals that have wings formed from four elongated digits of the forelimb covered by a cutaneous membrane and that have adequate visual capabilities but often rely on echolocation
see also bats in the belfry
batted; batting
: to wink especially in surprise or emotion
never batted an eye
bachelor of arts in teaching
Examples of bat in a Sentence
Noun (1)
a sharp bat with a rolled-up newspaper and that fly was a goner
riot policemen armed with bats and tear gas
Verb (1)
batted the lamp off the table with one strike
batted the piñata until it finally broke open
on Sunday afternoons we'd pile into Father's car and bat around the countryside
Recent Examples on the Web
Zadie Smith, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
Yoshida has not been as promised since signing a $90 million contract two seasons ago, batting .285 with 25 home runs in the last two seasons.
—Hunter Mulholland, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 June 2025
Hunter Mulholland, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 June 2025
Boyd made a sensational catch of a hard liner off the bat of J.P. Crawford to end the fifth, but his left shoulder was bruised on the play and manager Craig Counsell removed him after the inning.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for bat
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Verb
Reaching for the Christ child, batting away evil spirits, grasping after floating words.
—Zadie Smith, New Yorker, 30 June 2025
Yoshida has not been as promised since signing a $90 million contract two seasons ago, batting .285 with 25 home runs in the last two seasons.
—Hunter Mulholland, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 June 2025
Noun
José Ramírez #11 of the Cleveland Guardians bats against the San Francisco Giants in the top of the fifth inning of a major league baseball game at Oracle Park...
—Hunter Mulholland, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 June 2025
Boyd made a sensational catch of a hard liner off the bat of J.P. Crawford to end the fifth, but his left shoulder was bruised on the play and manager Craig Counsell removed him after the inning.
—Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for bat
Cite this Entry
“Bat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bat. Accessed 6 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bat
2 of 4 verb
batted; batting
1
: to strike or hit with or as if with a bat
2
: to take one's turn at bat in baseball
3
: to have a batting average of
is batting .300
bat
3 of 4 noun
: any of an order of night-flying mammals with the forelimbs modified to form wings
bat
4 of 4 verb
batted; batting
: to wink especially in surprise or emotion
never batted an eye
Etymology
Noun
Old English batt "club"
Noun
from Middle English bakke "flying bat"; probably of Scandinavian origin
Verb
probably an altered form of earlier bate "to beat the wings in an impatient manner"
Medical Definition
bat
noun
: any of an order (Chiroptera) of nocturnal placental flying mammals with forelimbs modified to form wings
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