baton

noun

ba·​ton bə-ˈtän 

ba-

also

ˈba-tᵊn 

plural batons

1

: cudgel, truncheon

specifically : billy club

2

: a staff borne as a symbol of office

3

: a narrow heraldic bend

4

: a slender rod with which a leader directs a band or orchestra

5

: a hollow cylinder carried by each member of a relay team and passed to the succeeding runner

6

: a hollow metal rod with a weighted bulb at one or both ends that is flourished by a drum major or drum majorette

7

: a piece of food that has been cut into a narrow strip that is thicker than a julienned piece of food

We cut carrots into slabs, then batons, then dice.

—Janet Rausa Fuller

Synonyms of baton

• cane

Examples of baton in a Sentence

The majorette twirled the baton.

the detainee claimed that the police had beat him with their batons even after he had been shackled

Recent Examples on the Web

According to the complaint, the same ICE officer had hit Scelfo twice in the leg with a baton during a physical altercation. —Chris Boyette, CNN Money, 1 June 2026

To help pass the baton to new leaders more smoothly, businesses could think about giving younger leaders strategic responsibility earlier in their careers, supporting senior leaders to act in a coaching or sponsor capacity, or pushing more decisions to frontline teams and their managers. —David Morel, Forbes.com, 1 June 2026

So essentially have gone the headlines this weekend, as the A24 baton transferred from its hipster staples to 20-year-old Backrooms director Kane Parsons (aka Kane Pixels to his 3 million YouTube followers). —Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 31 May 2026

During the 4×800, the leading team, Longmeadow, was disqualified after one of its runners threw the baton. —Hannah Hughes, Boston Herald, 31 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

French bâton, from Old French baston, ultimately from Late Latin bastum stick

First Known Use

1520, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing baton

• passed the baton

Rhymes for baton

• anton
• argon
• axon
• baronne
• baryon
• boron
• buisson
• bygone
• capon
• cardon
• chiffon
• coupon

Kids Definition

baton

noun

ba·​ton bə-ˈtän 

ba-

1

: a staff borne as a symbol of office

2

: a stick with which a leader directs a band or orchestra

3

: a hollow rod passed from one member of a relay team to another

4

: a staff with a ball at one or both ends carried by a drum major or baton twirler