batch

American  

[bach] / bætʃ /

noun

1. a quantity or number coming at one time or taken together.

   a batch of prisoners.

   Synonyms:

   troop, pack, gang, flock, band, set, number, lot, group, bunch

2. the quantity of material prepared or required for one operation.

   mixing a batch of concrete.

3. the quantity of bread, cookies, dough, or the like, made at one baking.

4. Computers.

   1. a group of jobs, data, or programs treated as a unit for computer processing.

   2. batch processing.

5. Glassmaking.

   1. a quantity of raw materials mixed in proper proportions and prepared for fusion into glass.

   2. the material so mixed.

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verb (used with object)

1. to combine, mix, or process in a batch.

batch ¹ British  

/ bætʃ /

noun

1. a group or set of usually similar objects or people, esp if sent off, handled, or arriving at the same time

2. the bread, cakes, etc, produced at one baking

3. the amount of a material needed for an operation

4. Also called: batch loaf.  a tall loaf having a close texture and a thick crust on the top and bottom, baked as part of a batch: the sides of each loaf are greased so that they will pull apart after baking to have pale crumby sides; made esp in Scotland and Ireland Compare pan loaf

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verb

1. to group (items) for efficient processing

2. to handle by batch processing

batch ² British  

/ bætʃ /

verb

1. (intr) (of a man) to do his own cooking and housekeeping

2. to live alone

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Etymology

Origin of batch

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English bache “amount of bread produced in one baking,” Old English gebæc; akin to German Gebäck “pastry, cakes”; see origin at bake

Explanation

A batch is a completed group, collection, or quantity of something, especially something that's just been made. You might, for example, bake a batch of cookies to take to your new neighbor. A company that makes soap might deliver a batch, loaded on a truck, to a new store in Vermont, and if you manage a bakery you might declare, "That's it! This is our last batch of gingerbread until next year!" In computer lingo, a batch is, similarly, a group or collection of records. The Old English root, bæcce, means "something baked," from bacan, "bake."

Example Sentences

Appeared in the December 20, 2025, print edition as 'DOJ Releases Batch of Epstein Files'.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

Batch cooking and freezing meal portions can also save money.

From BBC • Nov. 19, 2025

Two principles stuck with me: Ask the Magic Question: “What can I do now to make something easier later?” and Batch It.

From Salon • Sep. 9, 2025

“If I were on their side, I absolutely would do this,” said Batch, adding that the language is an “admission that there is actually ambiguity.”

From Seattle Times • Jun. 22, 2023

Pattie Batch had been doing nothing of the sort.

From Christmas Eve at Swamp's End by Duncan, Norman

Related Words

• amount
• array
• assortment
• bunch
• bundle
• cluster
• collection
• lot
• parcel
• quantity
• shipment
• volume