1
as in blow
a hard strike with a part of the body or an instrument
a sharp bat with a rolled-up newspaper and that fly was a goner
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in cane
a heavy rigid stick used as a weapon or for punishment
riot policemen armed with bats and tear gas
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in to knock
to deliver a blow to (someone or something) usually in a strong vigorous manner
batted the lamp off the table with one strike
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly
batted the piñata until it finally broke open
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to roam
to move about from place to place aimlessly
on Sunday afternoons we'd pile into Father's car and bat around the countryside
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of bat
Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 25 Jan. 2026
The Rosemount High graduate was 17 and bat boy for the 1965 Minnesota Twins.
—Charley Walters, Twin Cities, 24 Jan. 2026
Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 18 Jan. 2026
Wilson batted the ball over to Richard Gonzalez, who then passed to Jimenez who got fouled and hit both free throws.
—Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bat
Noun
The Red Sox have acquired Ranger Suarez, Sonny Gray, Johan Oviedo and Willson Contreras, and they are still expected to add at least one more bat.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 25 Jan. 2026
The Rosemount High graduate was 17 and bat boy for the 1965 Minnesota Twins.
—Charley Walters, Twin Cities, 24 Jan. 2026
Verb
Maye was strip-sacked on third-and-10 after a run for no gain and an incomplete pass that was batted at the line.
—Doug Kyed, Boston Herald, 18 Jan. 2026
Wilson batted the ball over to Richard Gonzalez, who then passed to Jimenez who got fouled and hit both free throws.
—Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 17 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for bat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bat
Noun
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The pressure pushed the Panamanian government to exit Xi’s Belt and Road Initiative – a symbolic blow for Beijing.—
Simone McCarthy,
CNN Money,
31 Jan. 2026
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The restaurant weathered the blows of COVID-19, but the relationship between Valente and his partners was strained.—
Sean Timberlake,
Sacbee.com,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
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It is thought to be one of the highest numbers of cane lashes imposed since sharia was implemented after Aceh was granted special autonomy in 2001.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
29 Jan. 2026
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The beverage program will feature cocktails like a sorghum old-fashioned; an Atlanta Sazerac with peach bitters, rye, cane syrup and an absinthe rinse; and the restaurant’s take on a mint julep called the George gold.—
Olivia Wakim,
AJC.com,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Three weeks after the beating, the FBI tracked Fakroune to an apartment in New York and knocked on the door.—
Jason Meisner,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Jan. 2026
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Production may dip slightly in winter, but South Florida’s short stretches of sweatshirt weather aren’t enough to knock populations back significantly.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
27 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Mitch West, meanwhile, was licking his wounds on Monday night, when snow still hadn’t touched down in his region of South Carolina.—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
28 Jan. 2026
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England’s Test team are still licking their wounds after their humbling Down Under.—
Sam Dalling,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Visitors can see the festival's namesake ostriches up close in a viewing area where the birds can roam around.—
Tiffany Acosta,
AZCentral.com,
29 Jan. 2026
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Yet, these sleek, wild, predator cats roam the foothills and mountains from Ventura to San Diego, slipping in and out of millions of backyards and dozens of local canyons mostly unseen, except for those fuzzy images captured by trail cameras and home surveillance videos.—
Steve Scauzillo,
Daily News,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Jin Shin has come across some monster potholes over the last couple of weeks, including one in Koreatown that rattled his car with a sickening thump and another near the airport where its depth was obscured by water.—
Alex Wigglesworth,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Jan. 2026
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Twitchy enough to line up off the edge or run with a tight end in the slot, Fisher (6-1, 231) is a bit small but brings enough thump to be the type of linebacker who never has to leave the field.—
Nick Baumgardner,
New York Times,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Federal officers wielded batons and deployed flash-bang devices against the crowd.—
Jack Brook,
Los Angeles Times,
24 Jan. 2026
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Agents pushed back demonstrators with a barrage of stinger ball grenades, pepper balls, tear gas and baton rounds.—
Robert Costa,
CBS News,
18 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Journalist Don Lemon was released from custody Friday after he was arrested and hit with federal civil rights charges over his coverage of an anti-immigration enforcement protest that disrupted a service at a Minnesota church.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
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But of all the spaghetti that got thrown at the wall, this is the one that hits for reasons that are totally orthogonal to politics and sort of Washington.—
Ben Smith,
semafor.com,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bat. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.
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