bat 1 of 2

noun

ˈbat How to pronounce bat (audio)
Definition of batnext
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

Relevance
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

bat

2 of 2

verb

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 show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bat
Noun
Other free-agents-to-be include starter Martín Pérez and reliever Brent Suter, plus bench bats Lane Thomas and Dominic Smith. — Tyler Estep, AJC.com, 9 Oct. 2026 Maybe Cashman should have made a harder push for, say, catcher Adley Rutschman – although Austin Wells’ bat was the least of the Yankees' concerns after the All-Star break and in October. — Ryan Morik Outkick, FOXNews.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Verb
In a league that constantly ignores dirty play against its top draw, White refused to go to bat for her team, showing a complete lack of backbone when her players needed a fighter on the bench. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 2 Oct. 2026 This year, no one would bat an eye at an album of the year nomination for the acclaimed LUX. — Leila Cobo, Billboard, 2 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bat
  1. blow
  2. cane
  3. knock
  4. lick
  5. roam
  6. thump
  7. baton
  8. hit
Noun
  • Ditka and Ryan had an often adversarial relationship, with the two nearly coming to blows during halftime of the team's only 1985 season loss, to the Miami Dolphins.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Oct. 2026
  • For many, that would have been a career-ending blow, but not for him.
    — Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of blow
Noun
  • There were taro patches and gardens planted with banana, sweet potato, sugar cane, noni, and more.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • This integrated plant uses BDO (butanediol), an important ingredient made from sugar cane, to provide raw materials for textiles, footwear, packaging and automotive industries.
    — Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of cane
Verb
  • The fans were ready to rock, but the Guardians knocked the Sox on their backs.
    — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The 22-year-old emerged from the woods Wednesday evening after a six-day disappearance and knocked on the driver’s side window of a search-and-rescue cruiser.
    — Angie Orellana Hernandez, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of knock
Verb
  • Carter is licking his wounds after the rest of the tribe sent Ana home in a blindside.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Typically, only a low-value male resorts to this behavior, turning to foot-licking as the easiest way to ingratiate himself with women.
    — Tucker Reals, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of lick
Verb
  • This wildly luxurious hideaway coexists with nature to put you up-close with the Big Five—especially the elephants, lion, and rhino that roam this northwest corner of South Africa.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Winter soon has the crowd eating out of his hand, his unmistakable voice roaming from an intentionally warbly baritone to a Thom Yorke-ish falsetto.
    — Conçetta Ciarlo, Vogue, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of roam
Noun
  • The brutalist thump of drummer Moe Tucker renders the showmen in Led Zeppelin and the Who irrelevant.
    — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 22 Sep. 2026
  • The Giants lineup even lacked Rafael Devers’ considerable thump for the first time since the Giants traded for him last summer.
    — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of thump
Noun
  • In the deciding Game 4, Vesia took the baton from Glasnow with two outs and two runners on in the fifth, got the inning’s final out on one pitch and came back out in the sixth.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
  • In Paris, tear gas filled the air, and trash cans, school desks and chairs were set alight as riot police with shields and batons clashed with some demonstrators.
    — Melissa Bell, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of baton
Verb
  • Residential real estate prices may hit a bottom in the third quarter of 2028, the report said.
    — Evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
  • For Fleabag and The Tourist producer Two Brothers, the show is the first hitting the international market since its parent, All3Media, was acquired by Banijay.
    — Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of hit

Phrases Containing bat

Browse Nearby Words

bastions
bat
bat (around)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bat. Accessed 10 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on bat

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bat

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of Luddite

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All