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
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