Also called galvanic battery, voltaic battery. Electricity. a combination of two or more cells electrically connected to work together to produce electric energy.
any large group or series of related things.
a battery of questions.
Military.
two or more pieces of artillery used for combined action.
a tactical unit of artillery, usually consisting of six guns together with the artillerymen, equipment, etc., required to operate them.
a parapet or fortification equipped with artillery.
a group or series of similar articles, machines, parts, etc.
Baseball. the pitcher and catcher considered as a unit.
Navy.
(on a warship) a group of guns having the same caliber or used for the same purpose.
the whole armament of a warship.
Psychology. a series of tests yielding a single total score, used for measuring aptitude, intelligence, personality, etc.
the act of beating or battering.
Law. an unlawful attack upon another person by beating or wounding, or by touching in an offensive manner.
an instrument used in battering.
Music. Also the instruments comprising the percussion section of an orchestra.
any imposing group of persons or things acting or directed in unison.
a battery of experts.
two or more primary cells connected together, usually in series, to provide a source of electric current
short for dry battery
another name for accumulator
a number of similar things occurring together
a battery of questions
criminal law unlawful beating or wounding of a person or mere touching in a hostile or offensive manner See also assault and battery
a fortified structure on which artillery is mounted
a group of guns, missile launchers, searchlights, or torpedo tubes of similar type or size operated as a single entity
a small tactical unit of artillery usually consisting of two or more troops, each of two, three or four guns
a large group of cages for intensive rearing of poultry
( as modifier )
battery hens
psychol a series of tests
chess two pieces of the same colour placed so that one can unmask an attack by the other by moving
the percussion section in an orchestra
baseball the pitcher and the catcher considered together
A battery stores chemical energy, which it converts to electrical energy. A typical battery, such as a car battery, is composed of an arrangement of galvanic cells. Each cell contains two metal electrodes, separate from each other, immersed within an electrolyte containing both positive and negative ions. A chemical reaction between the electrodes and the electrolyte, similar to that found in electroplating, takes place, and the metals dissolve in the electrolyte, leaving electrons behind on the electrodes. However, the metals dissolve at different rates, so a greater number of electrons accumulate at one electrode (creating the negative electrode) than at the other electrode (which becomes the positive electrode). This gives rise to an electric potential between the electrodes, which are typically linked together in series and parallel to one another in order to provide the desired voltage at the battery terminals (12 volts, for example, for a car battery). The buildup of charge on the electrodes prevents the metals from dissolving further, but if the battery is hooked up to an electric circuit through which current may flow, electrons are drawn out of the negative electrodes and into the positive ones, reducing their charge and allowing further chemical reactions.
First recorded in 1525–35; from Middle French batterie, equivalent to batt(re) “to beat” + -erie noun suffix; see bate 2, -ery
Battery is (among other things) physical attack or assault: “He was arrested for battery after he hit his manager several times on the head with a large flashlight.” When you think of a battery, you probably envision the electrical devices that allow you to power everything in your life — from your car to your cell phone. However, battery has a whole host of meanings. In addition to beating someone as in "assault and battery," it also refers to a collection of artillery or guns: “He’s collected a battery of weapons; we hope he doesn’t intend to use them." Beyond guns, a battery can also refer to any group or collection of similar things: “She was subjected to a battery of tests, designed to determine whether she was a genius or just plain smart.”
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A 3D-printed battery developed at Queen's University Belfast could "make a genuine impact" on the road to net zero, say the researchers behind it.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
These technologies generate electricity, when planned and coordinated together, and they can relieve stress on the grid, reduce peak demand and respond to fluctuations in milliseconds through advanced battery controls and smart inverter technology.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Last September, Robin Zeng, founder of the world’s biggest battery maker, took aim at what he called “vicious price competition.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
Imagine a group of battery banks that together have enough power to keep all of Texas and California going on a peak summer day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
He had the two prongs of jumper cables with the other end attached to the car battery.
From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri
Battery life, for instance, fell well short of expectations.
From Slate ● Jun. 20, 2026
Battery recycler Redwood Materials is using retired EV batteries External link to power a site.
From Barron's ● Jun. 10, 2026
The Presidential Salute Battery will also conduct a 21-gun cannon salute.
From BBC ● Apr. 26, 2026
Battery manufacturers made significant investments in the U.S. in recent years, buoyed by policy support for EVs.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 19, 2026
Madam reached out and grabbed at the coat of an officer striding toward the Battery fort.
From "Chains" by Laurie Halse Anderson
China has constructed some large-scale batteries, and a trial has also taken place in Scotland.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
And that’s another place where local solar, batteries and other community-based solutions come in.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Flow batteries are seen as key to scaling up renewable energy, allowing it to be stored for when the wind is not blowing and the sun is not shining.
From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026
Iola Hughes, head of research at Benchmark, said Chinese battery makers have focused on lithium ferrophosphate, or LFP, batteries that use inexpensive iron and are suited to energy storage.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
We empty and refill drawers stuffed with loose drill bits and wood screws, batteries, rolls of tape, and twenty-year-old receipts for two-dollar bottles of glue.
From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
