BATS Synonyms: 354 Similar and Opposite Words

bats 1 of 3

adjective

ˈbats

Definition of bats

as in psychotic

unable to think in a clear or sensible way by film's end it's obvious that faded movie star Norma Desmond is completely bats

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

bats

2 of 3

noun

plural of bat

as in hits

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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as in canes

a heavy rigid stick used as a weapon or for punishment riot policemen armed with bats and tear gas

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bats

3 of 3

verb

present tense third-person singular of bat

as in knocks

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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as in licks

to strike repeatedly batted the piñata until it finally broke open

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as in roams

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 bats

Noun

Health officials are urging residents not to touch bats, including bats that appear sick or dead. — Nicole Buss, Sacbee.com, 4 Oct. 2026 The difference was clear when contrasting Braves leadoff hitter Drake Baldwin’s first and second at-bats against Skubal. — Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026 Get it at 50 percent off and complete the set with matching bowls featuring the whole Peanuts gang in designs with bats and pumpkins, Snoopy’s doghouse, pirates, Schroeder’s piano, pumpkin patches, cute costumes, and more. — Caley Sturgill, Southern Living, 2 Oct. 2026 Rabid bats and stray cats have also been found in Guilford and Greensboro. — Eva Flowe october 1, Charlotte Observer, 1 Oct. 2026 This team was built around offense and defense, and the bats never came alive in a disappointing performance. — Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026 Roberts wants to see Ohtani take a handful of live at-bats and hit off the Trajekt machine this week. — ABC News, 29 Sep. 2026 Reiter definitely got more at-bats tonight in her first show. — Andy Hoglund, Entertainment Weekly, 27 Sep. 2026

Verb

Visitors can also follow a small leafy trail to Kelayang Cave, where hanging bats doze after a night of feasting. — Claire Turrell, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Sep. 2026 Duran started the year hitting third and now bats seventh or eighth, and his hold on everyday playing time might have been saved by Masataka Yoshida’s injury — at least until Roman Anthony’s return. — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026 New York catcher Alyssa Zettlemoyer worked with Henley, as did Maggie Foxx, who bats fourth for the Los Angeles Queens. — Marisa Ingemi, Mercury News, 15 Aug. 2026 The 6-foot-2, 215-pound senior first baseman not only starts but also bats cleanup for the Wildcats, who have returned to the state semifinals. — Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 11 June 2026 With the light nearly gone — the UMass Dartmouth field doesn’t have lights — Callahan silenced the Raiders bats one more time and this eventually led to the decision to pause the game. — Jack Murray, Boston Herald, 10 June 2026 Schmidt, who bats and throws left, led off the bottom of the seventh with a sharp single to right field. — Steve Fryer, Oc Register, 27 May 2026 Inés has been raised in a world of strange ellipses, and hardly bats an eye when the hotel bartender goes quiet after someone mentions his missing brother, but Hanna (Maia Rae Domagala) is a different story. — David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 14 May 2026 Jordan Woolery, who bats behind her at third in the lineup, has 107 RBIs and was the Big Ten Player of the Year. — ABC News, 10 May 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bats

Adjective

Kratom can produce either stimulating or sedating effects, depending on the dosage taken, and can produce psychotic symptoms, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

— Phil Helsel, NBC news, 22 Sep. 2026
After she was sent back to Los Angeles, Leigh suffered a psychotic break.

— Hadley Hall Meares, Vanity Fair, 21 Sep. 2026

Definition of psychotic

Noun

May 9 Atlanta 7, at Dodgers 2 Blake Snell gave up five runs in three innings and the Braves got 12 hits overall, 11 of them singles.

— Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Downstairs, Angelica focuses on all-day European brasserie hits—rabbit rillettes, gravlax, and pickled cucumber salad—while the Bar Gambit leans moodier and more underground, attracting a particular post-work creative Fitzrovia crowd.

— Katharine Sohn, Architectural Digest, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of hits

Noun

This is because fruit development consumes much of the vine’s energy, so removing the fruit at this point allows the vine’s energy to continue to develop a strong cordon, canes (vertical shoots), and root system.

— The San Diego Union Tribune, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2026
Choose 3-6 strong, healthy, outside canes per plant to keep and leave 3-5 buds on each cane.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 10 Sep. 2026

Definition of canes

Verb

That glib self-confidence is present in McNamara, who licks the doughnut glaze off his fingers before offering his hand to the female detective questioning the one living Jason.

— Scott Tobias, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Later, a woman protractedly licks blue ice cream from a cone, her attempts thwarted by ferocious gusts of wind and sand.

— Matilda Hague, Variety, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of licks

Verb

When the Farmer destroys the flock’s beloved pumpkin patch, Shaun turns mad scientist to fix the problem, only for events to spiral out of control as a wild beast roams the woods of Mossingham.

— Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 20 Sep. 2026
Ripper Row — Jack the Ripper roams the streets in search of his next victim.

— Brady MacDonald, Oc Register, 8 Sep. 2026

Definition of roams

Adjective

To Hitchcock, the indelible feature of Roosevelt’s Presidency was his desire to protect democratic norms and processes amid crises, even as critics accused him of being a power-mad dictator or a Communist sympathizer.

— Beverly Gage, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
The video has so many of Taylor’s favorite tropes—weddings that turn into a mess, metaphorically breaking glass, red wine spilling, mad women, chatty ghosts, symbolic houses.

— Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of mad

Noun

And the former running back, who may be suffering from too many blows to the head, shot back that none of those players were drafted by the Steelers.

— Armando Salguero OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Oct. 2026
And in a single season, a high school or college football player absorbs an estimated 600 to 1,000 subconcussive blows.

— Alexandra Pattillo, Scientific American, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of blows

Cite this Entry

Style

“Bats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bats. Accessed 5 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of bats

adjective

noun

verb

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