batten

verb

Definition of battennext
1
as in to button

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Dissimilar Words
2
as in to fatten

Related 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 batten An official with Smit Salvage, which is part of the salvage team led by TMC Marine, told CNN that the hatches appear open, meaning the crew may not have battened them down as the storm approached. — Barbie Latza Nadeau, CNN Money, 20 May 2025 Sheila stares downward, as though battening her emotional hatches. — Robin Kaiser-Schatzlein, New York Times, 13 June 2023 In summary, short-term volatility will persist while consumers batten down the hatches, but as always the future of retail is bright for those who are willing to evolve. — Natalie Berg, Forbes, 27 Jan. 2023 All the Valkyries could do was batten down the hatches and try to ride out Assumption's storm. — J.l. Kirven, The Courier-Journal, 25 Oct. 2022 See All Example Sentences for batten
Recent Examples of Synonyms for batten
  1. button
  2. fatten
  3. affix
  4. fill
  5. fasten
  6. mess
  7. pin
  8. screw
Verb
  • The image showed Robinson gazing at the camera, dressed in circular statement earrings and a bandana print blouse buttoned to the top.
    — Kaleigh Werner, Footwear News, 17 June 2026
  • Styling wise, let the shirt have a moment—think halfway buttoned with a statement necklace peeking out, or wrapped around your waist for a finishing touch.
    — Minty Mellon, Vogue, 12 June 2026
Definition of button
Verb
  • Tonight is an excellent opportunity to stop the slide and fatten the season’s profit.
    — Josh Shepardson, Forbes.com, 20 July 2026
  • But the rules are written as if to fatten the wallets of the hospital and insurance giants — while the taxpayers and employers eat the costs.
    — Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 30 Apr. 2026
Definition of fatten
Verb
  • Consider nail-free wall hangings, like the ones TilePix and Walgreens are have partnered to produce; simply affix them with magnetic wall pads.
    — Amelia Mularz, Architectural Digest, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Video snippets captured from two highway patrol officers’ cameras showed the man initially standing at a homeless encampment while holding a hammer and two nearly identical homemade weapons, each of them made with a knife affixed to the end of pole.
    — Jakob Rodgers, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of affix
Verb
  • Be sure to plan at least one evening on-property to catch the sunset, when the mountains are painted in shades of pink and purple before giving way to a sky filled with twinkling stars.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 15 Aug. 2026
  • His previous spell on the Bernabeu bench was filled with arguments and feuds, with the Portuguese angrily taking on referees, journalists, opposition coaches and even his own players.
    — Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of fill
Verb
  • These mini bottles can fasten right onto the top of your favorite perfume nozzles for easy filling—they’re ready for travel in a few short pumps!
    — Hayley Domin, Travel + Leisure, 8 Aug. 2026
  • That, plus the heavy weight, should provide significant theft deterrence, but the Olto’s kickstand also has a place to use a more traditional lock to fasten it to something.
    — ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2026
Definition of fasten
Verb
  • Here’s how to bring flowers from your cutting garden indoors while keeping insects and mess out.
    — Andy Wilcox, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The only way to mess this up is to not allow yourself the opportunity to touch it again and again and again.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 30 July 2026
Definition of mess
Verb
  • The Blaze host Auron MacIntyre likewise opined that all the infighting over burrito pricing is a symptom of a party bracing for a midterm drubbing and pre-emptively looking for something to pin it on.
    — Andy Meek, Forbes.com, 9 Aug. 2026
  • The patient thinks the clinician is going to pin them down into a less-than-human category.
    — Orna Guralnik, The New York Review of Books, 4 Aug. 2026
Definition of pin
Verb
  • Even Bari Weiss hasn’t figured out a way to screw that up (not yet, anyway).
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 14 Aug. 2026
  • There’s a storyline in season two about AI being employed at the hospital, then screwing everything up when the system goes down.
    — Hillary Busis, Vanity Fair, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of screw

Browse Nearby Words

batted (around or back and forth)
batten
batten (down)
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Cite this Entry

“Batten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/batten. Accessed 18 Aug. 2026.

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