battering

noun

bat·ter·ing | \ ˈba-tə-riŋ

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

As trade negotiations with China resume this week, the Trump administration is racing to strike a deal that will result in long-term reforms—and prove that tariffs are an effective battering ram to open markets around the world. — Jacob M. Schlesinger, WSJ, "As China Trade Talks Resume, Trump Pushes an Ambitious Agenda," 18 Feb. 2019 Black Panther dropped into theaters on February 16, 2018 with all the force of a battering ram. — Julie Kosin, Harper's BAZAAR, "Black Panther Breakout Winston Duke Is Ready to Reset Hollywood," 4 Dec. 2018 Metals prices took a battering Thursday as a new volley of tariff threats prompted investors to dump hard commodities. — Benjamin Parkin, WSJ, "Copper Falls to 2018 Low on Renewed Trade Jitters," 19 July 2018 The 5-foot-11, 222-pound battering ram sat out the second half of last weekend’s 25-17 loss to the Chargers with a hip injury, leaving his status for Sunday’s road game against the Rams a relative mystery. — Mike Vorel, The Seattle Times, "After his family lost their house, Seahawks’ Chris Carson vows to fight homelessness in Seattle," 7 Nov. 2018 The exact nature of that battering is hard to explain with any precision. — Adam Sachs, Town & Country, "How Tasmania Became the Food World’s Newest Culinary Odyssey," 20 Sep. 2018 The lira, which has taken a battering over concerns that the central bank’s independence is under threat from politicians in Turkey agitating for lower interest rates, rallied in response. — The Economist, "Business this week," 31 May 2018 But can a conference that strong and the weekly batterings that are so fierce become a detriment to the league? — Patrick Brennan, Cincinnati.com, "Is the Big East too tough for its own good?," 4 Jan. 2018 Finally, police tried to enter the garage with a battering ram. — Eric Adler And Glenn E. Rice, kansascity, "‘KCPD murdered my only daughter,’ says mother of woman who wielded decorative sword," 15 June 2018

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.