Synonyms

go to bat for

Idioms

Take the side of, support, defend. For example, Dad will always go to bat for his kids. This term originated in baseball, where it means simply substituting for another batter, but it is the idea of helping one's team in this way that has been transferred to more general use. [Slang; early 1900s]

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.

And it isn’t merely the pitcher’s willingness to go to bat for his team and country, all the metrics make his case, too.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026

Most job seekers don’t have someone like Fife to go to bat for them—not until they get through an initial screening, anyway.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

Yes, Philadelphians and Pennsylvanians will almost always go to bat for one their own—one of the big upsides for Harris if she chose Shapiro.

From Slate • Aug. 6, 2024

The committee chairman, Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, called members of his committee “an all-star lineup ready to hit the ground running and go to bat for the American people.”

From Seattle Times • Jan. 19, 2023

“But if you want someone to go to bat for you, she’s the one.”

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

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