batting

American  

[bat-ing] / ˈbæt ɪŋ /

noun

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.

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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

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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.

Example Sentences

Rew has gears to his batting, just not as many as Smith.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

Rew is said to be a tough character, with an old-fashioned approach to batting - happy to occupy the crease if the situation demands.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

Teams built their rosters while relying on rudimentary statistics like batting average and runs batted in for hitters and win-loss record for pitchers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026

Baseball players don’t get to calculate their own batting averages, but they’ve had lots of leeway about one stat that mattered to them—how tall they are.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 13, 2026

As our train chugged along through Indiana and across Ohio, the sunshine smiling down upon us, I couldn’t stop the butterflies from batting around in my stomach.

From "The Detective's Assistant" by Kate Hannigan