bat

1 of 5

noun (1)

1
: a stout solid stick : club
2
: a sharp blow : stroke
3
a
: a usually wooden implement used for hitting the ball in various games
b
: a paddle used in various games (such as table tennis)
c
: the short whip used by a jockey
4
a
: batsman, batter
a right-handed bat
b
: a turn at batting
usually used in the phrase at bat
c
: hitting ability
we need his bat in the lineup
5
: batt
6
British : rate of speed : gait
7
: a drinking spree : binge

bat

2 of 5

verb (1)

batted; batting

transitive verb

1
: to strike or hit with or as if with a bat
2
a
: to advance (a base runner) by batting
b
: to have a batting average of
3
: to discuss at length : consider in detail

intransitive verb

1
a
: to strike or hit a ball with a bat
b
: to take one's turn at bat
2
: to wander aimlessly

bat

3 of 5

noun (2)

plural bats
: any of a widely distributed order (Chiroptera) of nocturnal usually frugivorous or insectivorous flying mammals that have wings formed from four elongated digits of the forelimb covered by a cutaneous membrane and that have adequate visual capabilities but often rely on echolocation

see also bats in the belfry

bat

4 of 5

verb (2)

batted; batting

transitive verb

: to wink especially in surprise or emotion
never batted an eye
also : flutter
batted his eyelashes

BAT

5 of 5

abbreviation

bachelor of arts in teaching
Phrases
off one's own bat
chiefly British : through one's own efforts
off the bat
: without delay : immediately
recognized him right off the bat

Examples of bat in a Sentence

Noun (1) a sharp bat with a rolled-up newspaper and that fly was a goner riot policemen armed with bats and tear gas Verb (1) batted the lamp off the table with one strike batted the piñata until it finally broke open on Sunday afternoons we'd pile into Father's car and bat around the countryside
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Families are turning dinner into an activity by using pizza dough or premade crusts to mold fun, spooky shapes, like ghosts, pumpkins, and bats, before topping them with sauce, cheese, and all their favorite fixings. Elizabeth Fogarty, Better Homes & Gardens, 18 Oct. 2025 Today, bats are its inhabitants, some 40,000 of them taking refuge in the darkness. Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 18 Oct. 2025
Verb
But then came the altercation, in which Philadelphia midfielder Jesus Bueno batted Zaha’s hand down in the middle of the pitch and Zaha responded with an open-handed push to Bueno’s face, and Bueno of course went down to the ground as if he had been punched by Mike Tyson. Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 19 Oct. 2025 Despite three false start penalties on the drive the Spartans got as close as the Aggies 37-yard line before a desperation throw from Eget on fourth-and-two was batted down in the end zone as time expired. Aaron Johnson, Mercury News, 18 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bat

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English batt

Noun (2)

probably alteration of Middle English bakke, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Swedish nattbakka bat

Verb (2)

probably alteration of bate entry 2

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1580, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

circa 1787, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of bat was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bat. Accessed 22 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

bat

1 of 4 noun
1
: a stout solid stick : club
2
: a sharp blow
3
: a usually wooden implement used for hitting the ball in various games (as baseball)
4
: a turn at batting
next at bat

bat

2 of 4 verb
batted; batting
1
: to strike or hit with or as if with a bat
2
: to take one's turn at bat in baseball
3
: to have a batting average of
is batting .300

bat

3 of 4 noun
: any of an order of night-flying mammals with the forelimbs modified to form wings

bat

4 of 4 verb
batted; batting
: to wink especially in surprise or emotion
never batted an eye
Etymology

Noun

Old English batt "club"

Noun

from Middle English bakke "flying bat"; probably of Scandinavian origin

Verb

probably an altered form of earlier bate "to beat the wings in an impatient manner"

Medical Definition

bat

noun
: any of an order (Chiroptera) of nocturnal placental flying mammals with forelimbs modified to form wings

More from Merriam-Webster on bat

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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