battering

noun

bat·​ter·​ing ˈba-tə-riŋ 

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

Using Kurdish political aspirations as a battering ram against Tehran – without any genuine commitment to Kurdish statehood or autonomy – would, in my opinion, constitute a betrayal. —John Calabrese, The Conversation, 7 Mar. 2026

Brown videotaped the encounter in which the agents used a battering ram to pop the door open. —Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 24 Feb. 2026

Or, they can be transformed by techniques such as stir-frying or tempura-battering. —Riley Wofford, Martha Stewart, 21 Feb. 2026

Certainly, accountability in the courts can follow, but paper copies of the Fourth Amendment don’t stop a battering ram — law enforcement officers’ adhering to the constitutional limits of their authority does. —Washington Post, 5 Feb. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1542, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing battering

• battering ram
• take a battering

Rhymes for battering

• chattering
• clattering
• flattering
• pattering
• scattering
• shattering
• smattering
• spattering
• backscattering
• unflattering