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

Oracle’s stock has been battered by a factors like a widespread software selloff and concerns about the company’s pivot to AI cloud computing.

From MarketWatch

Many good coffee cake recipes lean on sour cream, which lends a pleasing density and richness to the batter.

From Salon

Because it doesn’t spin like a slider, batters often read it as a fastball out of the pitcher’s hand—only for the ball to plummet into the dirt at the last possible moment.

From The Wall Street Journal

It added that he had decided to focus on battering Iran's missiles and navy, before looking to pressure Iran diplomatically to reopen the Strait.

From Barron's

The surface bubbled and roiled, as if battered by sudden rapids.

From Literature

Related Words

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