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
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of bat
Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026
Devers had been hitless in his previous 14 at-bats.
—CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 May 2026
Attleboro pitcher Jenna Callahan – who batted 4-for-5 with two doubles – was in a rhythm entering the seventh, though, retiring eight of Taunton’s previous nine batters in a 5-4 game.
—Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for bat
Noun
The at-bat didn’t really go as planned for the Super Bowl champion.
—Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026
Devers had been hitless in his previous 14 at-bats.
—CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
Verb
The Utes had a chance to tie the game in the sixth inning with a runner on second and first with two outs and outfielder Jet Gilliam up to bat, but the junior popped up to end the inning.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 May 2026
Attleboro pitcher Jenna Callahan – who batted 4-for-5 with two doubles – was in a rhythm entering the seventh, though, retiring eight of Taunton’s previous nine batters in a 5-4 game.
—Tom Mulherin, Boston Herald, 8 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for bat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bat
Noun
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Amid aspersions and attack ads, the pair nearly came to blows at a community debate.—
Dakota Smith,
Los Angeles Times,
11 May 2026
-
From there, both fighters were trading blows, but the fifth round was when Strickland had an interesting moment with Chimaev.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
10 May 2026
Noun
-
Betye Saar practically levitates into the room wearing a Max Mara jacket that resembles a bird’s plumage, with a butter-yellow silk Dior dress grazing the ground behind her and a cane in her hand.—
Julissa James,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
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Bad Bunny went full costume, carrying a cane and dressing up as an older version of himself with gray hair and special effects makeup to add years to his face.—
Beatrice Dupuy,
Chicago Tribune,
5 May 2026
Verb
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At that house, no one answered a Statesman reporter’s knocks on Monday, but Davidson told the Statesman that his family owns the whole lot.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
28 Apr. 2026
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Alex Hebda, of Wheatfield, and Chris Mercaldo, of Valparaiso, were knocking the balls around the pool table.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Gilgeous-Alexander licked his chops at what Game 1 presented.—
Joel Lorenzi,
New York Times,
6 May 2026
-
But host Kristen Kish is licking her lips at the prospect of taking the show even further afield in the future.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
4 May 2026
Verb
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At least 32 wolves are roaming Colorado after two rounds of releases and last year’s breeding season, which produced at least 14 pups, according to Brenna Cassidy, Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s wolf monitoring data coordinator.—
Elise Schmelzer,
Denver Post,
7 May 2026
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By the time Turner purchased his first bison in 1976, the species was in better shape, but populations were still far below their peak, when tens of millions once roamed the Great Plains.—
Drew Kann,
AJC.com,
7 May 2026
Noun
-
The Yankees need Wells to provide at least some thump in a bottom third of the order that hasn’t been very good.—
Brendan Kuty,
New York Times,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Moments later, a bass thump sounded in the distance.—
Nabih Bulos,
Los Angeles Times,
27 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Harper and Fox each scored 24 points and Stephon Castle added 20 as the Spurs guards unflinchingly took the baton from their 7-foot-4 superstar and turned the rest of the night into a midrange clinic with an array of pull-up jumpers in and around the paint.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
11 May 2026
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With the top line of Sebastian Aho, Andrei Svechnikov and Seth Jarvis still in the starting blocks, as far as production goes, the second line has grabbed the baton and finished two legs of the race.—
Sean Gentille,
New York Times,
10 May 2026
Verb
-
Sloane, who has increased his fastball velocity by over 10 mph since last spring and now reaches 90, hit the gym hard.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
9 May 2026
-
During their semifinal win over Wisconsin, the Bruins hit four home runs and pushed their NCAA record single-season team home run total to 181.—
Sports Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
9 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bat. Accessed 12 May. 2026.
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