batter

¹ American  

[bat-er] / ˈbæt ər /

verb (used with object)

1. to beat persistently or hard; pound repeatedly.

   Synonyms:

   pelt, smite, belabor

2. to damage by beating or hard usage.

   Rough roads had battered the car. High winds were battering the coast.

   Synonyms:

   ruin, destroy, shiver, shatter, smash, wound, bruise

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verb (used without object)

1. to deal heavy, repeated blows; pound steadily.

   continuing to batter at the front door.

noun

1. Printing.

   1. a damaged area on the face of type or plate.

   2. the resulting defect in print.

batter ² American  

[bat-er] / ˈbæt ər /

noun

1. a mixture of flour, milk or water, eggs, etc., beaten together for use in cooking.

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verb (used with object)

1. to coat (an ingredient) with a mixture made from flour, milk, eggs, etc., especially as preparation for frying.

batter ³ American  

[bat-er] / ˈbæt ər /

noun

Sports.

1. a player who swings a bat or whose turn it is to bat, as in baseball or cricket.

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batter ⁴ American  

[bat-er] / ˈbæt ər /

verb (used without object)

1. (of the face of a wall or the like) to slope backward and upward.

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noun

1. a backward and upward slope of the face of a wall or the like.

batter ¹ British  

/ ˈbætə /

verb

1. to hit (someone or something) repeatedly using heavy blows, as with a club or other heavy instrument; beat heavily

2. (tr; often passive) to damage or injure, as by blows, heavy wear, etc

3. (tr) social welfare to subject (a person, esp a close relative living in the same house) to repeated physical violence

4. (tr) to subject (a person, opinion, or theory) to harsh criticism; attack

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batter ² British  

/ ˈbætə /

noun

1. the slope of the face of a wall that recedes gradually backwards and upwards

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verb

1. (intr) to have such a slope

batter ³ British  

/ ˈbætə /

noun

1. a mixture of flour, eggs, and milk, used to make cakes, pancakes, etc, and to coat certain foods before frying

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batter ⁴ British  

/ ˈbætə /

noun

1. sport a player who bats

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batter ⁵ British  

/ ˈbætə /

noun

1. a spree or debauch

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Etymology

Origin of batter¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English bateren, probably from Middle French, Old French batre “to beat,” with the French infinitive ending -re identified with -er ⁶; see bate ²

Origin of batter²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English bat(o)ur, bat(e)re, perhaps from Anglo-French bature, Old French bat(e)ure “act of beating,” equivalent to bat(re) “to beat” + -eure (from -ātūra assumed abstract noun suffix); reinforced by batter ¹; see origin at bate ², -ate ², -ure

Origin of batter³

First recorded in 1765–75; bat ¹ + -er ¹

Origin of batter⁴

First recorded in 1540–50; of obscure origin

Explanation

To batter is to beat repeatedly, as if one boxer were clobbering another with blows. Batter is one of those words with many meanings that seem entirely unrelated to each other. You can batter by hitting again and again, but there's also a batter in baseball — the guy who's holding a bat and waiting for the pitcher to throw the ball. Yet another meaning is the batter you mix up when you're making muffins, using eggs, flour, milk, and sugar. They all come from the same Latin root word, battuere, "to beat or strike."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

batter

Still working through delivery problems, he gave up four hits, three runs and hit a batter.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

Finish the batter: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet just until combined, then fold in the carrots and candied peel, if using.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

A year ago, the idea of intentionally walking the batter ahead of Cal Raleigh would’ve been completely unfathomable.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

The video appeared to show Saltburn fielder Brian Devine clicking his fingers in order to trick the umpire into giving a Norton batter out.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

There was no way a batter could predict which way that ball was going to break.

From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson

Related Words

• bash
• beat
• bruise
• buffet
• clobber
• crush
• demolish
• destroy
• hurt
• injure
• lash
• mar
• pelt
• pummel
• punish
• ruin
• shatter
• smash
• wallop
• wreck