battering

1 of 2

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

battering

2 of 2

present participle of batter entry 1, batter entry 3, batter entry 5

Examples of battering in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Next, the door becomes his battering ram, knocking three enemies down to the landing below him. — Chris Klimek, Vulture, 16 Sep. 2026

Hunter is a compact back renowned for his lower-body power and battering-ram mentality. — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 27 Aug. 2026

In the middle of the night, federal agents had burst into the home on Quiet Circle, spray-painting his front door camera and smashing the door with a battering ram. — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026

In around a month, the batteries of thousands of mobile phones around the world will take an absolute battering. — Matt Gardner, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

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