batter

1 of 6

verb (1)

bat·​ter ˈba-tər 

battered; battering; batters

transitive verb

1

a

: to beat with successive blows so as to bruise, shatter, or demolish

battered down the door

women who have been battered by their husbands

b

: bombard

battering targets with artillery fire

battering the lawyer with questions

c

law : to commit battery against (someone) : to offensively touch or use force on (a person) without the person's consent

… was battered and cut badly enough to be hospitalized overnight.

—N. R. Kleinfield

… studies showing that a woman is at greatest risk of being battered, and even murdered, by her partner when he suspects her of sexual infidelity.

—Sharon Begley

2

: to subject to strong, overwhelming, or repeated attack

battered by forces of change

Their confidence was battered by a series of losses.

3

: to wear or damage by hard usage or blows

a battered old hat

intransitive verb

1

: to strike something heavily and repeatedly : beat, pound

flies battered against … the electric-light bulbs

—D. B. Chidsey

2

law : to commit battery against another : to offensively touch or use force on a person without the person's consent

… the personality characteristics and life histories that lead men to batter and kill.

—Erica Goode

batterer

ˈba-tər-ər 

noun

batter

2 of 6

noun (1)

1

a

: a mixture consisting chiefly of flour, egg, and milk or water and being thin enough to pour or drop from a spoon

thin pancake batter

b

: a mixture (as of flour and egg) used as a coating for food that is to be fried

dip the chicken in the batter

beer batter

2

: an instance of battering (see batter entry 1)

batter

3 of 6

verb (2)

battered; battering; batters

transitive verb

food : to coat with a mixture (as of flour and egg) for frying : to coat (food) with batter (see batter entry 2 sense 1b)

fish that has been battered and fried

batter

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noun (2)

: a receding upward slope of the outer face of a wall or other structure

batter

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verb (3)

battered; battering; batters

transitive verb

: to give a receding upward slope to (something, such as a wall)

batter

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noun (3)

: one that strikes or hits a ball with a bat

especially : the player whose turn it is to bat

The pitcher walked the first batter.

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• bash
• baste
• bat
• beat
• belabor
• belt
• birch
• bludgeon
• buffet
• bung up
• club
• curry
• do
• drub
• fib [British]
• flog
• hammer
• hide
• lace
• lambaste
• lambast
• lash
• lather
• lick
• maul
• mess (up)
• paddle
• pelt
• pommel
• pound
• pummel
• punch out
• rough (up)
• slate
• slog
• switch
• tan
• thrash
• thresh
• thump
• tromp
• wallop
• whale
• whip
• whop
• whap
• whup
• work over

Examples of batter in a Sentence

Verb (1)

children battered the piñata until it broke open

planes battered the city for weeks

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Aledo freshman Tempe Perry put on a show from the circle, pitching seven innings, allowing zero earned runs and striking out eight batters. —Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Apr. 2025

After making four appearances in the last week and facing five batters two days ago, the Mets wanted to give him a two-day break. —Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 25 Apr. 2025

Verb

His ability to rise to the moment — battered or not — has become the Knicks’ greatest weapon. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 27 Apr. 2025

During recent talks, Russia hit the city of Sumy, killing more than 30 civilians gathered to celebrate Palm Sunday, battered Odesa with drones and blasted Zaporizhzhia with powerful glide bombs. —Arkansas Online, 26 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English bateren, probably frequentative of batten to bat, from bat

Noun (1)

Middle English bater, probably from bateren

Verb (2)

verbal derivative of batter entry 2

Noun (2)

origin unknown

Verb (3)

verbal derivative of batter entry 4

Noun (3)

bat entry 2 + -er entry 2

First Known Use

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (2)

1971, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1743, in the meaning defined above

Verb (3)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

1773, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing batter

• batter down

Rhymes for batter

• atter
• blatter
• catarrh
• chatter
• clatter
• fatter
• flatter
• hatter
• latter
• matter
• natter
• patter

Kids Definition

batter

1 of 3 verb

bat·​ter ˈbat-ər 

1

: to beat with repeated violent blows

batter down the door

2

: to wear down or injure by hard use

wore a battered old hat

batterer noun

batter

2 of 3 noun

: a thin mixture chiefly of flour and liquid beaten together

cake batter

batter

3 of 3 noun

: one that bats

especially : the baseball player at bat

Etymology

Verb

Middle English bateren "to beat"

Noun

Middle English bater "thin mixture," probably derived from bateren "to beat"

Noun

bat and -er (noun suffix)