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; 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

Example Sentences

But the floods that battered northwestern Morocco in recent weeks have left evacuees like Habachi with little to celebrate.

From Barron's

Seward, a junior committed to Tennessee, had three hits as the leadoff batter.

From Los Angeles Times

They had outgunned Scotland, routing them at the breakdown, stifling their lethal runners, battering them in the collisions.

From BBC

"Some of their batters are batting really well. So hopefully we can get a few wickets in the power play," he said.

From Barron's

This latest wreck is believed to have been caused by the series of brutal storms that have battered the Atlantic coast of the UK and Europe since January.

From BBC

Related Words

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