battered

adjective

bat·​tered ˈba-tərd 

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

Gregory, a horrified business owner who was arriving at work in Sunset Park when the battered BMW sped past him, said he was stunned by the carnage the BMW left behind. —Thomas Tracy, New York Daily News, 12 July 2025

Land Cruisers vie with battered pick-up trucks for prime real estate just beyond the white fence that demarcates the ring. —Camilla Wright, semafor.com, 11 July 2025

Meanwhile, a new possible ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war — as well as the future of talks between the U.S. and Iran over Tehran’s battered nuclear program — remain in the balance. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 10 July 2025

Raising his hand in greeting and carrying a battered suitcase, the figure represents the hopes and dreams of the new residents who would help shape the city’s culture and history. —AFAR Media, 10 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing battered

• battered child syndrome
• battered woman syndrome

Rhymes for battered

• backscattered
• chattered
• clattered
• flattered
• mattered
• pattered
• scattered
• shattered
• spattered
• splattered
• tattered