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

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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

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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

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2
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly batted the piñata until it finally broke open

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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

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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
  • For now, better wheat and barley crops in Canada, Australia and Argentina, along with good harvests in the Middle East and North Africa, are cushioning the blow.
    — Jenni Reid, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Then, after weeks of sit-ins and marches, Dharmendra Pradhan, the education minister, stepped down, a rare blow to Modi’s government, and one that more established opposition parties had been unable to land.
    — Ayushi Shah, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of blow
Noun
  • With a bowler hat, a toothbrush mustache, and a crook cane, Charlie Chaplin’s bumbling alter ego the Tramp lit up the big screen.
    — Michael Gioia, Architectural Digest, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Just three days after surgery to remove one of his kidneys, Miller slowly strolled right in — cane in hand — and took a seat with Council, firing off jokes without missing a beat.
    — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 8 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
  • But the knock on them has been the lack of thump in their lineup.
    — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
  • The brutalist thump of drummer Moe Tucker renders the showmen in Led Zeppelin and the Who irrelevant.
    — Craig Jenkins, Vulture, 22 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

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bastions
bat
bat (around)
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Cite this Entry

“Bat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bat. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on bat

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bat

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