battering

bat·ter·ing | \ ˈba-tə-riŋ

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Definition of battering

1 : violent physical abuse that usually involves the act of striking someone repeatedly or heavily in order to cause injury Feminists turned violence against women, previously a well-kept secret, into a public political issue; made rape, incest, battering and sexual harassment understood as crimes; and got public funding for shelters for battered women. — The Nation

2 : a damaging experience or situation : an injury, setback, or defeat That was the year Canada rebounded from a 28–4 battering in the round-robin to beat the U.S. 17–16 in the championship final …— Bob Kravitz While her confidence took a battering [=was damaged], she kept a game face throughout the season.— Sally Bedell Smith

Examples of battering in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Former president Barack Obama is smashed face-first like a battering ram into what appears to be part of a wooden pulpit. — Washington Post, "If Trump doesn’t condone violence against journalists, he should stop inspiring it," 14 Oct. 2019 Agricultural commodities traders have taken a battering in recent years, with prices of sugar, coffee and grains having steadily fallen. — David Hodari, WSJ, "Louis Dreyfus Suffers Another Coffee-Warehouse Suspension," 28 Nov. 2018 At Transition House, everyone believed that battering was a result of male domination in a sexist culture, so the idea that women battered other women was incomprehensible, and therefore ignored. — Larissa Macfarquhar, The New Yorker, "The Radical Transformations of a Battered Women’s Shelter," 13 Aug. 2019 Monday’s sweep — an 8-5 victory over the Orioles in the first game, followed by a similar 11-8 battering in the nightcap — lifted the Yankees to a season-high 38 games over .500 and a remarkable 46-16 record within the division. — Bob Klapisch, New York Times, "Facing Little Resistance, the Yankees Make Health Their Main Goal," 12 Aug. 2019 Video footage shared widely on social media showed Kwong trying to block protesters wielding makeshift battering rams with his own body. — Time, "'Whenever There’s Trouble He Rushes There.' Meet Legislator Roy Kwong, the God of Hong Kong Protests," 20 July 2019 The Spaniard proved to be an excellent battering ram for Tottenham last season, coming on late in the game to disrupt defences and to be a general pain in the backside. — SI.com, "Analysing How Successful 10 Former Premier League Players Will Be After Moving to Serie A," 15 Sep. 2019 Witnesses said the bull was struck dozens of times, and the sound of the battering was deafening. — BostonGlobe.com, "As visitors gathered around the bull Sunday morning, a guide from a passing double-decker tour bus directed attention to the sculpture. “That’s the gash,” he said. “See, that’s the gash.”," 10 Sep. 2019 Witnesses said the bull was struck dozens of times, and the sound of the battering was deafening. — New York Times, "Attack Leaves Wall Street’s Iconic Bull With a Gash on Its Horn," 8 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'battering.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

16 Nov 2019

Cite this Entry

“Battering.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/battering. Accessed 12 December 2019.

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