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

Karr gave the Bears a 16-14 lead late in the third quarter with an 8-yard touchdown reception from Bronko Nagurski on a trick play — a jump pass after the 235-pound battering ram of a fullback rushed toward the line. — Will Larkin, chicagotribune.com, "Ranking the 100 best Bears players ever: No. 91, Bill Karr," 7 June 2019 On the outside, there are revolving license plates, front and rear battering rams, a bullet shield aft of the rear window that can be raied, and both an oil-slick system and a smokescreen system capable of shooting out of the taillights. — Daniel Golson, Car and Driver, "Check Out the Aston Martin DB5 Continuation's Working James Bond Gadgets," 14 May 2019 The incident occurred along the in Portsall, North Finistère during coastal battering from Storm Imogen. — Eric Limer, Popular Mechanics, "Here's Why You Don't Go Down to the Beach During a Storm," 10 Feb. 2016 In Knoxville, Tennessee, armed black men organized themselves to successfully repel hundreds of white rioters who had already destroyed the county jail with a battering ram and dynamite. — Ursula Wolfe-rocca, Teen Vogue, "The Red Summer of 1919, Explained," 8 Apr. 2019 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

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.