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

McKean made an error in the seventh inning, but struck out three batters in the frame to slam the door shut on the Hornets. —Charles Baggarly, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Apr. 2024

Weathers struck out a career-high 10 batters over his six innings to lead the Marlins to a 6-3 win over the San Francisco Giants. —Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 17 Apr. 2024

After being shelled and removed early in Game 1, Erskine returned as the Game 3 starter and struck out a then-World Series record 14 batters — including future Hall of Famer Mickey Mantle four times — in a 3-2 victory at Ebbets Field in Brooklyn. —Russ Stanton, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2024

The rookie hurler retired Kansas City’s first 11 batters, striking out five. —Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2024

The damage could have been worse if not for Winn’s highwire act in the second inning, allowing the first three batters to load the bases but allowing only one to score. —Evan Webeck, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024

Blended chickpeas also make an excellent, tempura-like batter for a whole host of fried delicacies, says McQueen. —Audrey Bruno, SELF, 5 Apr. 2024

Thirteen batters reached base for Santa Margarita (11-4-1) and 10 different hitters drove in runs. —Michael Huntley, Orange County Register, 5 Apr. 2024

Ragans walked two batters but, reliever James McArthur extinguished the threat. —Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 4 Apr. 2024

Verb

Winter storms battered the area, the damage worsened by a piping system installed by the military to try and preserve a fairy shrimp vernal pool on the cliff above, storm water gushing down pipes and onto the road. —Laylan Connelly, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Apr. 2024

The Whites reacted with their fists, leaving Rev. Murray, his brother and their father battered and bloody. —Elaine Woo, Washington Post, 7 Apr. 2024

Perpetrators beat victims and take food, even baby formula, leaving people battered and starving in the forest. —Julie Turkewitz Federico Rios, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024

There were notable job number declines in February in construction, due partly to the storms that battered parts of the state this winter, according to EDD. —David Lightman, Sacramento Bee, 4 Apr. 2024

Fried Green Tomatoes: battered tomato slices layered with pimento cheese for dipping sauces. —Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Apr. 2024

Cortes was battered for three runs in the first inning and surrendered a solo home run in the second, then settled down and threw three scoreless frames before getting the hook. —Daniel R. Epstein, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024

It’s been battered by a global slowdown in EV demand, growing competition in China and production problems in Germany. —Vernal Galpotthawela, Fortune, 6 Apr. 2024

Leisure and hospitality, battered during the COVID-19 pandemic and recovering only recently, added 40,800 jobs year to year and in February employed 2.03 million people. —David Lightman, Sacramento Bee, 4 Apr. 2024

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

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)