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

Futures took another turn higher in the first half of 2025 in response to a battered U.S. dollar.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

England have passed up the opportunity to send their first-choice batters to gain match practice in an Ashes tour game in Canberra, despite a dismal defeat in the first Test.

Read more on BBC

Hezbollah has been rebuilding its armaments and battered ranks since then, according to people familiar with Israeli and Arab intelligence.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

England's batters were out trying to hit balls outside off stump, on the up, through the covers.

Read more on BBC

The pitch had made batters an endangered species.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

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