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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in canes
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 knocks
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 licks
to strike repeatedly
batted the piñata until it finally broke open
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of bats
Kevin J. Farmer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2026
Durb could get going and things could change, but right now, those [Sogard] at-bats are good.
—Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 28 May 2026
Louisville scored nine times over its final three at-bats to beat the Saints 10-5 on Wednesday afternoon, with Hector Rodriguez hitting three home runs for the Bats.
—Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 28 May 2026
Good at-bats, throwing out runners and blocking balls are all part of a day’s work for Paredes, who is grateful to be doing it.
—Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2026
After that play, Meckler stole second, which led to the Angels’ only two at-bats with a runner in scoring position before the ninth inning.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 28 May 2026
Tolle threw 27 pitches in the third, 28 in the fourth and 21 in the fifth, and over those three innings there were four at-bats where a Braves hitter fouled off three or more pitches.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 28 May 2026
The franchise record for consecutive hitless at-bats is 35, set by Ryan McMahon in 2025.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 28 May 2026
But the Royals failed to keep up with their opponent’s bats again, and could barely generate any offense against perennial All-Star Gerrit Cole, who made his second start of the season.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 28 May 2026
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
Pontrelli bats leadoff for Lemont.
—Tony Baranek, Chicago Tribune, 5 May 2026
Altuve bats fifth For the first time in his career, Altuve started a regular-season game batting in the fifth spot in the lineup.
—Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 30 Apr. 2026
Peralta then was replaced by left-hander Brooks Raley, and Kelly was sent up to hit for Moisés Ballesteros, a rookie who bats from the left side.
—CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026
Right fielder Kyle Tucker usually bats behind leadoff hitter Shohei Ohtani.
—Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2026
Obviously, there are ambitions for Broadway and the West End, but Tiffany bats such thoughts aside.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2026
Noun
Meanwhile, Avila-Siqueiros was silencing the Warner bats, allowing just four walks and an error in the first five innings.
—Kevin J. Farmer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2026
Durb could get going and things could change, but right now, those [Sogard] at-bats are good.
—Jen McCaffrey, New York Times, 28 May 2026
Louisville scored nine times over its final three at-bats to beat the Saints 10-5 on Wednesday afternoon, with Hector Rodriguez hitting three home runs for the Bats.
—Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, 28 May 2026
Good at-bats, throwing out runners and blocking balls are all part of a day’s work for Paredes, who is grateful to be doing it.
—Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2026
After that play, Meckler stole second, which led to the Angels’ only two at-bats with a runner in scoring position before the ninth inning.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 28 May 2026
Tolle threw 27 pitches in the third, 28 in the fourth and 21 in the fifth, and over those three innings there were four at-bats where a Braves hitter fouled off three or more pitches.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 28 May 2026
The franchise record for consecutive hitless at-bats is 35, set by Ryan McMahon in 2025.
—Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 28 May 2026
But the Royals failed to keep up with their opponent’s bats again, and could barely generate any offense against perennial All-Star Gerrit Cole, who made his second start of the season.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 28 May 2026
Verb
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
Pontrelli bats leadoff for Lemont.
—Tony Baranek, Chicago Tribune, 5 May 2026
Altuve bats fifth For the first time in his career, Altuve started a regular-season game batting in the fifth spot in the lineup.
—Matt Kawahara, Houston Chronicle, 30 Apr. 2026
Peralta then was replaced by left-hander Brooks Raley, and Kelly was sent up to hit for Moisés Ballesteros, a rookie who bats from the left side.
—CBS News, 18 Apr. 2026
Right fielder Kyle Tucker usually bats behind leadoff hitter Shohei Ohtani.
—Maddie Lee, Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2026
Obviously, there are ambitions for Broadway and the West End, but Tiffany bats such thoughts aside.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 27 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bats
Adjective
-
Mary, our thirtysomething narrator, has recently boomeranged back to her hometown (York) after experiencing a break with reality that may or may not be psychotic.—
Emily Temple,
Literary Hub,
26 May 2026
-
In March 2023, Abdulai was assaulted by an inmate during a psychotic episode.—
Imani Cruzen,
Twin Cities,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
After first charting in 1975, Bryson had a pair of smash pop hits with theme songs from back-to-back Disney toons.—
Erik Pedersen,
Deadline,
2 June 2026
-
Chase Herrell followed with 3⅔ scoreless innings while scattering three hits and striking out two.—
Jose de Jesus Ortiz,
Los Angeles Times,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
The edible fruit can be used to make jelly, but watch for thorns on the shrub’s canes.—
Steve Bender,
Southern Living,
27 May 2026
-
More to Explore Many of the human props—canes, top hats, desks—used in primate taxidermy became unfashionable in the first half of the nineteenth century, but there were still throwbacks.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
And that's when a shot blasts through the door and knocks Lena to the ground.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
23 May 2026
-
Hudson showed some subtle support for the jesting knocks to her boyfriend by reposting a clip of his final joke shared on Fox News' official X page.—
Zoey Lyttle,
PEOPLE,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
A lot of freedom going on between the guitars, a lotta little licks intermingle with the big guitar licks that the song is all about.—
Liza Lentini,
SPIN,
22 May 2026
-
At one point A’zion licks the digitally de-aged Mick Jagger’s face.—
Ethan Millman,
HollywoodReporter,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
Today, the herd roams the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and is managed in partnership with the local fire company, which hosts the annual pony swim—a beloved local tradition.—
Travel + Leisure Editors,
Travel + Leisure,
19 May 2026
-
In one scene, Misael disappears entirely from the forest as the canine roams around in the background while a calf grazes up front.—
Vadim Rizov,
IndieWire,
16 May 2026
Adjective
-
Captain Ahab went mad in his vengeful search for Moby Dick.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
27 May 2026
-
Standing at 6 feet 8 inches in heels, Evans towers above cast members including Stephanie Hsu, Juliette Lewis, Harvey Guillén and more, as the mad scientist and head of a paranormal household that has welcomed in two hapless strangers during a rainstorm.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
26 May 2026
Noun
-
From there, the two schools traded blows until intermission.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
2 June 2026
-
According to the coroner, there was evidence of nine blows to the victim’s head and neck.—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bats. Accessed 4 Jun. 2026.
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