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
Janet Rausa FullerExamples 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
Comey delivered her most fiery remarks yet, taking the baton after fellow prosecutor Christy Slavik delivered a five-hour closing argument on Thursday.
—Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 27 June 2025
Body camera and security footage captured during the rescue, shared by Corona Police on Facebook, showed police through the window of a blue sedan before one of the officers used a baton to smash the front driver’s side window to gain access to the vehicle.
—Abigail Adams, People.com, 26 June 2025
Conducting with his pointer fingers rather than a baton, and sporting a new goatee, Guerrero led a sparky, whistle-clean run of Hailstork’s eight-minute curtain raiser.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2025
Law enforcement responded with tear gas, rubber bullets, and baton charges, resulting in injuries to medics, journalists, and at least one protester now at the center of an LAPD use-of-force investigation.
—Faisal Kutty, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for baton
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Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 27 June 2025
Body camera and security footage captured during the rescue, shared by Corona Police on Facebook, showed police through the window of a blue sedan before one of the officers used a baton to smash the front driver’s side window to gain access to the vehicle.
—Abigail Adams, People.com, 26 June 2025
Conducting with his pointer fingers rather than a baton, and sporting a new goatee, Guerrero led a sparky, whistle-clean run of Hailstork’s eight-minute curtain raiser.
—Hannah Edgar, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 2025
Law enforcement responded with tear gas, rubber bullets, and baton charges, resulting in injuries to medics, journalists, and at least one protester now at the center of an LAPD use-of-force investigation.
—Faisal Kutty, MSNBC Newsweek, 19 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for baton
Cite this Entry
“Baton.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/baton. Accessed 9 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids 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
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