batter

¹

[bat-er]

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

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

[bat-er]

noun

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

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

[bat-er]

noun

Sports.

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

batter

⁴

[bat-er]

verb (used without object)

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

noun

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

batter

¹

/ 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

batter

²

/ ˈbætə /

noun

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

verb

1. (intr) to have such a slope

batter

³

/ ˈbætə /

noun

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

batter

⁴

/ ˈbætə /

noun

1. sport a player who bats

batter

⁵

/ ˈbætə /

noun

1. a spree or debauch

Word History and Origins

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; 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; 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

Word History and Origins

Origin of batter¹

C14 bateren , probably from batten to _bat ¹

Origin of batter²

C16 (vb: to incline): of uncertain origin

Origin of batter³

C15 bater , probably from bateren to _batter ¹

Origin of batter⁴

C19: of unknown origin

Example Sentences

Sasaki retired all nine batters he faced from the eighth to the 10th.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Henry was a battering ram for Baltimore last season; on Sunday he was barely a blip with 33 yards on 15 carries.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Anybody who qualifies as a traditional relief pitcher faced exactly one batter, which was actually one more than they had hoped.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Aaron Judge understood that as he dug into the batter’s box in the fourth inning on Tuesday night, with the fate of the 2025 New York Yankees hanging perilously in the balance.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Sandy McDougall, an abusive mother barely out of her teens, believes she has killed the baby she relentlessly battered.

Read more on Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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