batch

American  

[bach] / bætʃ /

noun

batches plural

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)

batches, present (3rd person singular) batched, past participle, past batching present participle

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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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• batches
  plural

Participles

• batching
  present
• batched
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• batch
  simple
• batches
  simple
• have batched
  perfect
• has batched
  perfect
• am batching
  progressive
• are batching
  progressive
• is batching
  progressive
• have been batching
  perfect progressive
• has been batching
  perfect progressive

Past

• batched
  simple
• had batched
  perfect
• was batching
  progressive
• were batching
  progressive
• had been batching
  perfect progressive

Future

• will batch
  simple
• will have batched
  perfect
• will be batching
  progressive
• will have been batching
  perfect progressive

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

Ghana has since repatriated more than 900 of its citizens from South Africa, and the last batch of over 900 others is expected to be brought home in the coming weeks.

From BBC • Jul. 7, 2026

Though the academy only admitted its first batch of students in April, founder Jiang Zongfu aims to train 10,000 grill masters within five years.

From Barron's • Jul. 2, 2026

Jens Schultheiss, a 30-year-old warranty manager at a Volkswagen dealership in Nuremberg, refreshed the website of a local hardware store hourly until he managed to spot a batch of new deliveries.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026

Even when using the same mold, color can vary from batch to batch, and how it cools also affects the result.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2026

We’re each going to take home the batch we’re cooking so it can cool.

From "A Place at the Table" by Saadia Faruqi and Laura Shovan

Related Words

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