bats

American

[bats] / bæts /

adjective

Slang.

insane; crazy.

He's gone bats.

bats British

/ bæts /

adjective

informal crazy; very eccentric

"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

Etymology

Origin of bats

First recorded in 1915–20; bat ², -s ³

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.

It’s one of the hazards of the job, along with fertilizer-soaked boots, ripped pants from ladder cages, and encounters with pigeons, mice and sleeping bats.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

Concerns have been raised over the cost of two houses being built for bats next to junction 10 of the M5.

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

Starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez stifled the USA bats led by New York Yankees home run king Aaron Judge.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

We’ve all marveled at Shohei Ohtani’s Superman quick change, how he’ll go from dynamite pitcher to fearsome hitter in a few bats of an eye.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026

“Who can be sure? But whatever the cause, the result is terrible. Sunshine is meant for men, darkness for bats and snakes and jackals and other such creatures.”

From "Nectar in a Sieve" by Kamala Markandaya

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023