bat

1 of 5

noun (1)

1
: a stout solid stick : club
2
: a sharp blow : stroke
3
a
: a usually wooden implement used for hitting the ball in various games
b
: a paddle used in various games (such as table tennis)
c
: the short whip used by a jockey
4
a
: batsman, batter
a right-handed bat
b
: a turn at batting
usually used in the phrase at bat
c
: hitting ability
we need his bat in the lineup
5
: batt
6
British : rate of speed : gait
7
: a drinking spree : binge

bat

2 of 5

verb (1)

batted; batting

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

1
a
: to strike or hit a ball with a bat
b
: to take one's turn at bat
2
: to wander aimlessly

bat

3 of 5

noun (2)

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

bat

4 of 5

verb (2)

batted; batting

transitive verb

: to wink especially in surprise or emotion
never batted an eye
also : flutter
batted his eyelashes

BAT

5 of 5

abbreviation

bachelor of arts in teaching
Phrases
off one's own bat
chiefly British : through one's own efforts
off the bat
: without delay : immediately
recognized him right off the bat

Examples of bat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Jack Freehill, Menlo baseball: The sophomore shortstop batted 5 for 7, hit a double and had an RBI across two wins against Westmont and King’s Academy. Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 4 Mar. 2024 To fight back, the tech industry increasingly uses the First Amendment as a shield, and legal experts warn an overly broad ruling in favor of the companies could establish a constitutional right to bat away regulation. Ann E. Marimow, Washington Post, 25 Feb. 2024 The Sea Lions led the conference in hitting, batting .313 with 84 homers while averaging 7.4 runs a game. Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2024 Oscar winner Nyong’o chose to bat aside the question of the Berlinale’s abrupt u-turn on having AfD politicans attend its opening. Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Feb. 2024 Rosario, 28, batted .283 with 71 RBI in 153 games for Cleveland in 2022. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 15 Feb. 2024 While the depiction of the tryout stayed largely true to the real-life events — Hill batted a perfect 11-for-11 in the tryout — there was one real-life moment that Hill wishes would’ve been in the film. Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 6 Feb. 2024 The switch-hitting Polanco batted .255 with 14 homers and 48 RBIs in 80 games last season. Jay Cohen, USA TODAY, 3 Feb. 2024 The team was mediocre (finishing 24-33), and Flores was one of their top hitters, batting .305 with eight extra-base hits and more walks than strikeouts. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 23 Feb. 2024
Noun
But when Daphne takes Lily to a rage room, where she’s given a baseball bat to smash and destroy things in order to vent her frustrations, Lily can’t move. Selome Hailu, Variety, 9 Mar. 2024 The fans chanted and sang, waved towels in the air, and clacked together plastic bats to show their devotion. Helen Schulman, Travel + Leisure, 2 Mar. 2024 All but one had been starved. Inside the shed, police investigators found a machete, a homemade electrical prod, crossbow arrows, aluminum bats, and several other weapons. Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 Mar. 2024 Several are adding additional cameras to monitor the property, and the residents of some houses have bought baseball bats and bear spray. James Hartley, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 1 Mar. 2024 Purple group — ____ bat (BASEBALL, CRICKET, FRUIT, VAMPIRE) No perfect game today, but my winning streak is now up to 13 games. Kris Holt, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 With one run already in and a runner on third with one out in the first, Luciano lined up on the cut of the infield grass and cleanly picked a sharp chopper off the bat of Christian Walker. Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 29 Feb. 2024 And nocturnal creatures like bats are sure to stir from their daytime slumber. Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2024 But there’s something unexplainable as to why their bats make elevator music in front of their loud, faithful fans. Nick Canepa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English batt

Noun (2)

probably alteration of Middle English bakke, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Swedish nattbakka bat

Verb (2)

probably alteration of bate entry 2

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1580, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

circa 1787, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bat was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near bat

Cite this Entry

“Bat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bat. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

bat

1 of 4 noun
1
: a stout solid stick : club
2
: a sharp blow
3
: a usually wooden implement used for hitting the ball in various games (as baseball)
4
: a turn at batting
next at bat

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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