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batting

American  
[bat-ing] / ˈbæt ɪŋ /

noun

  • battings
    plural
  1. the act or manner of using a bat in a game of ball.

  2. cotton, wool, or synthetic fibers in batts or sheets, used as filling for quilts or bedcovers.


batting British  
/ ˈbætɪŋ /

noun

  1. Also called: batt.  cotton or woollen wadding used in quilts, mattresses, etc

  2. the action of a person or team that hits with a bat, esp in cricket or baseball

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of batting

First recorded in 1605–15; bat 1 + -ing 1

Explanation

Batting is the soft, plush material on the inside of a blanket or quilt. When you make a quilt, you sew the front to the back with a layer of batting in between. Batting is sometimes called wadding in the UK. It's usually made of cotton, and it adds thickness and warmth to a blanket. You might see batting used as imitation snow in a department store window, as well. The word comes from the now-obsolete bat, "felted mass of fur or wool," from the idea of "beaten" or "batted" fabric.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

There was a freedom to their batting hitherto unseen in this series so far.

From BBC Sep. 11, 2026

England's bowlers were thwarted by a Pakistan side who mixed batting belligerence with brilliance and instead of a Saturday off must reconvene at Edgbaston for day four.

From BBC Sep. 11, 2026

On Tuesday, batting third in the lineup against Reds left-handed starting pitcher Nick Lodolo, he showcased the kind of influence he can make on both sides of the ball.

From Los Angeles Times Sep. 9, 2026

His gritty 60 was impressive, if perhaps not enough to provide certainty around his place in a congested England batting line-up.

From BBC Sep. 9, 2026

That Og could afford to charter three different jets to retrieve us without batting an eyelash was a testament to just how insanely wealthy he must be.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

Ms. Kokoszka described the members as having “unselfishly donated their time, talents, fabrics, battings, backings, bindings and labels for the making of the quilts each of our honored guests will receive tonight.”

From Washington Times Oct. 24, 2020

The floors were four inches deep with dirt and cotton battings and scraps of linings.

From White Slaves; or, the Oppression of the Worthy Poor by Louis Albert Banks

Spoolers, weavers, slubbers, warpers, nearly grown but all hard-faced, listless—and many of them slept on shawls and battings of cotton.

From The Bishop of Cottontown A Story of the Southern Cotton Mills by John Trotwood Moore

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