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

Galliano, who was famously fired from Dior in 2011, after making antisemitic comments in a bar in Paris, also attended the show, as well as Jean Paul Gaultier, a show of baton-passing if there ever were one. —CNN Money, 30 Jan. 2026

But for Sunday afternoon’s performance, resident conductor Christopher James Lees will take up the baton since Ryan will be in Los Angeles by then for the Grammys. —Adam Bell, Charlotte Observer, 30 Jan. 2026

The baton is being passed to a group of emerging economies. —Scott Montgomery, Forbes.com, 30 Jan. 2026

New media is getting the job done, while some mainstream media is taking the baton and running with it. —Bill Goodykoontz, AZCentral.com, 29 Jan. 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