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

4 of 6

noun (2)

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

batter

5 of 6

verb (3)

battered; battering; batters

transitive verb

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

batter

6 of 6

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

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

But on a larger scale, will Snell’s season allow the baseball decision makers to put less of an emphasis on the number of batters walked for a starting pitcher? —Tyler Small, Forbes, 30 Nov. 2023

What makes this a distinctly Taiwanese dish is its double-fried crunch, produced by a batter of thick sweet potato starch, and its finishing seasoning of chili powder, ground white pepper, and shards of fried Thai basil. —Clarissa Wei, Saveur, 30 Nov. 2023

Add batter to Bundt pan: Pour batter into a greased and floured 10-inch Bundt pan. —Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 28 Nov. 2023

Eliminating the nuts might give you a little less batter or dough to work with, which will primarily affect the yield of such treats as cookies or muffins. —Becky Krystal, Washington Post, 28 Nov. 2023

My personal take on the batter is a bit lighter, allowing the mix of vegetables to shine. —Leah Koenig, Los Angeles Times, 22 Nov. 2023

Most baked goods require dough or batter, so one of the most obvious but essential baking supplies is a good set of mixing bowls like these stainless steel ones from Amazon. —Madison Yauger, Peoplemag, 13 Nov. 2023

Make cornbread batter: Combine the cornmeal mix and baking soda. —Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 12 Nov. 2023

Scrape the bowl well to make sure the batter is homogeneous. —Erin Jeanne McDowell, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 Nov. 2023

Verb

Conditions there have remained dire for 2.3 million Palestinians, battered by weeks of Israeli bombardment and a ground offensive that has driven three-quarters of the population from their homes. —Compiled Bydemocrat-Gazette Stafffrom Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 28 Nov. 2023

Flexible spending options, including buy-now-pay-later features online, have helped shoppers stretch budgets otherwise battered by inflation. —Spencer Soper, Fortune, 28 Nov. 2023

The assessment details how climate change is already battering the nation with extreme heat, hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, floods and swiftly rising sea levels. —Chelsea Harvey, Scientific American, 14 Nov. 2023

Add hot bacon drippings to batter: Remove the skillet from the oven, and tilt it in all directions to coat the bottom. —Southern Living Test Kitchen, Southern Living, 12 Nov. 2023

While in the Atlantic, Hurricane Tammy was very near Antigua and threatened to batter the islands of the Lesser Antilles. —CBS News, 21 Oct. 2023

Yet, more recently, the allure of H Street has faded as the corridor has come to reflect a more contemporary version of Washington — a city still recovering from the pandemic, buffeted by economic uncertainty and battered by violent crime. —Paul Schwartzman, Washington Post, 20 Nov. 2023

Then, instead of battering and frying the pickles, try wrapping them in ham or turkey and baking them until bubbly. —Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Nov. 2023

The intense flames battered close to 100 columns supporting the highway, the governor added. —Vik Jolly, New York Times, 12 Nov. 2023

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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

• batter down

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 batteren "to beat"

Noun

bat and -er (noun suffix)