baton

American  

[buh-ton, ba-, bat-n] / bəˈtɒn, bæ-, ˈbæt n /

noun

batons plural

1. Music. a wand used by a conductor.

2. a rod of lightweight metal fitted with a weighted bulb at each end and carried and twirled by a drum major or majorette.

3. Track. a hollow rod of wood, paper, or plastic that is passed during a race from one member of a relay team to the next in a prescribed area.

4. a staff, club, or truncheon, especially one serving as a mark of office or authority.

   Synonyms:

   caduceus, fasces, wand, rod, crosier, scepter, mace

5. Heraldry.

   1. a diminutive of the bend sinister, couped at the extremities: used in England as a mark of bastardy.

   2. a similar diminutive of the ordinary bend.

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baton British  

/ -tɒn, ˈbætən /

noun

1. a thin stick used by the conductor of an orchestra, choir, etc, to indicate rhythm or expression

2. 1. a short stick carried for use as a weapon, as by a policeman; truncheon

   2. ( as modifier )

      a baton charge

3. athletics a short bar carried by a competitor in a relay race and transferred to the next runner at the end of each stage

4. a long stick with a knob on one end, carried, twirled, and thrown up and down by a drum major or drum majorette, esp at the head of a parade

5. a staff or club carried by an official as a symbol of authority

6. heraldry a single narrow diagonal line superimposed on all other charges, esp one curtailed at each end, signifying a bastard line

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baton Cultural  

1. A stick used by some conductors of choruses or orchestras. The baton is traditionally used to indicate the tempo of the music.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• batons
  plural

Etymology

Origin of baton

1540–50; < Middle French bâton, Old French baston < Vulgar Latin *bastōn- (stem of *bastō ) stick, club; compare Late Latin bastum staff

Explanation

A baton is the small stick or rod, like the one that an orchestra conductor uses to direct musicians. A conductor's baton is often made of lightweight wood. There are several types of batons, all of them some kind of stick or club. A relay runner carries and passes a metal or wooden baton to the next runner, and a baton twirler in a parade spins and throws a long, metal baton in the air as she marches. Police officers carry batons as well, heavy sticks that can be used as weapons. This is the original meaning of baton, from the Latin bastum, "stout staff."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

baton batons

While the duo set the trail ablaze, they have passed the baton to a trio of coaches — Inouye-Perez, Walker and Fernandez, who have spent a combined 72 years in Westwood.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

Adlington, one of Britain's most successful heavyweight judoka athletes, will bear the Scottish baton while Marshall will carry the Saltire flag.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Divergence can be the hallmark of a rally when a new industry has taken the market baton, but also a preview of broader market trouble.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

If life is a relay race, your brother passed on the Social Security baton.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 11, 2026

She made twirling a baton look easy and impossible at the same time.

From "Raymie Nightingale" by Kate DiCamillo

The son of a Nasa Indigenous guerrilla and an Afro‑Colombian police officer, his protection is a phalanx of some 30 Indigenous Guards, some barely out of their teens and armed with little more than batons.

From Barron's ● Feb. 19, 2026

Little is made of Goering’s outrageous personal style: the power-blue Reichsmarschall’s uniform, the fur-lined capes, the diamond encrusted badges and batons, the face makeup.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 6, 2026

Sixty years ago, marchers in Selma faced tear gas and batons so that we might inherit a fuller democracy.

From Slate ● Jul. 16, 2025

At approximately 6 p.m., after police had already begun using batons and less-lethal projectiles to push back the crowd, Mendoza was looking through photos of the event he had taken on his phone.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 11, 2025

Coach picked up the two batons from the track, and wiped them down.

From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds

Related Words

• cudgel
• mace
• nightstick
• rod
• truncheon
• wand