batter

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb batter contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of batter are cripple, maim, mangle, and mutilate. While all these words mean "to injure so severely as to cause lasting damage," batter implies a series of blows that bruise deeply, deform, or mutilate.

an old ship battered by fierce storms

When is cripple a more appropriate choice than batter?

The synonyms cripple and batter are sometimes interchangeable, but cripple implies the loss or serious impairment of an arm or leg.

crippled for life in an accident

When can maim be used instead of batter?

While in some cases nearly identical to batter, maim implies the loss or injury of a bodily member through violence.

maimed by a shark

When is it sensible to use mangle instead of batter?

In some situations, the words mangle and batter are roughly equivalent. However, mangle implies a tearing or crushing that leaves deep wounds.

a soldier's leg mangled by shrapnel

In what contexts can mutilate take the place of batter?

Although the words mutilate and batter have much in common, mutilate implies the cutting off or removal of an essential part of a person or thing thereby impairing its completeness, beauty, or function.

a tree mutilated by inept pruning

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 batter But while Barcelona’s 4-1 battering at the hands of Sevilla on Sunday — their heaviest loss in La Liga for over 10 years — will go down as a major shock, the manner of their defeat will be of little surprise to those who have endured the full thrill of Hansi Flick’s reign. Thom Harris, New York Times, 8 Oct. 2025 More than 8,400 houses, some 240 bridges and almost 700 kilometers of roads have been battered or destroyed by the deluge, according to the National Disaster Management Authority. Jasmin Malik Chua, Sourcing Journal, 7 Oct. 2025 In its current iteration, the menu features battered chicken strips and chicken/seafood combo platters. Suzanne Blake, MSNBC Newsweek, 7 Oct. 2025 The Indianapolis Colts dropped 40 points on the Las Vegas Raiders, while the Houston Texans were able to pick apart the bruised and battered Baltimore Ravens’ defense for a 44-10 win. Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for batter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for batter
Verb
  • Elizabeth and Dominic's 95 guests burst into laughter as the dog jumped into the fountain and began walking around, licking up water.
    Ashlyn Robinette, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
  • The carcass was gone, the grass and weeds were licked clean of blood, and the knife was buried under debris.
    Marguerite Reiss, Outdoor Life, 9 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Ukraine bombs Russian energy infrastructure to defend civilians and destroy the Kremlin war machine.
    Mandy Taheri, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Earlier in the week, Afghan authorities accused Pakistan of bombing the capital, Kabul, and a market in the country's east.
    NPR, NPR, 12 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • John Candy famously took a racquetball to the skull in a key comedic scene from the 1984 film Splash — and fellow actor Tom Hanks recalls that his late costar's head might've been pounding already after Candy spent the night before drinking with Hollywood icon Jack Nicholson.
    Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 10 Oct. 2025
  • The ball would pound the hardwood like a hammer pounds a nail.
    James L. Edwards III, New York Times, 10 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp, Mahmoud Sharkawy, who has been displaced from Gaza City, said there was intense artillery shelling in the early hours of the morning.
    Barney Henderson, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Zach Agnos and Nick Anderson were both shelled in the seventh as Baltimore batted around in the frame, and then some.
    Patrick Saunders, Denver Post, 28 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Public safety officials have already conducted several water rescues as the storm lashes the East Coast with coastal flooding, strong winds, and heavy rain.
    Anna Skinner, MSNBC Newsweek, 13 Oct. 2025
  • Maduro’s reaction One person not celebrating is Maduro, who on Sunday lashed out at the opposition leader.
    Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 13 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In the seventh inning of Game 5, with Kyle Finnegan on the mound, Seattle announced Canzone to bat for Garver.
    The Athletic MLB Staff, New York Times, 11 Oct. 2025
  • But she’s batted against by her own clients — including Danielle Macdonald, who is terminally afraid of accidentally killing her own newborn child — and the medical administration hovering around her daughter, demanding immediate improvements or else.
    Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 9 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • The question was whether new coach Marco Sturm was going to be able to whip this team into the hard-to-play-against, defensively sound unit they were designed to be.
    Steve Conroy, Boston Herald, 12 Oct. 2025
  • Harrison's head whipped back and slammed into the turf at Lucas Oil Stadium.
    Matt Audilet, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Of course, the bags don’t actually hide anything; in fact, they are reserved specifically for, and definitively signal, the drinking of alcohol.
    Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 14 Oct. 2025
  • The measure, which has failed to make it through the Legislature twice before, would require insurance companies to cover additional screenings, like an MRI, for women diagnosed with breast tissue that can hide cancer from traditional mammograms.
    Molly Beck, jsonline.com, 14 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Batter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/batter. Accessed 17 Oct. 2025.

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