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battered

adjective

bat·​tered ˈba-tərd How to pronounce battered (audio)
1
: damaged or worn down by hard use
a battered old hat
a battered truck
2
: injured by repeated blows
the victim's battered body
a boxer's battered face
3
: subjected to repeated physical abuse
providing help for battered wives/children
… the store turned into an impromptu women's crisis center, where battered women and mothers trying to rescue their daughters from abusive dads gravitated.Donna Minkowitz

Examples of battered in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
However, prosecutors portrayed Homolka as a battered wife who was beaten and blackmailed into aiding Bernardo, per the Associated Press. Lynsey Eidell, PEOPLE, 1 Dec. 2025 Romansh, which sounds closer to northern-Italian dialects than to the modern language spoken in Florence or Rome, is a battered remnant of spoken Late Latin which escaped standardization mostly by being tucked away in the Alps. Simon Akam, New Yorker, 1 Dec. 2025 As dozens of sheriff's deputies and FBI agents searched the area for Becky the next day, a fisherman found her battered and naked body floating in the Banana River just a half-mile from her home. Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 13 Nov. 2025 Think of it as more of a battered but beautiful old dive bar than a burger joint. Keith Pandolfi, Cincinnati Enquirer, 24 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for battered

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of battered was in 1593

Cite this Entry

“Battered.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/battered. Accessed 3 Dec. 2025.

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