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.

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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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• battings
  plural

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

See Examples For:

batting battings

His batting average: .266 before Smith’s injury, .233 since then.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2026

His career batting average to that point was .000—he went 0 for 12 in a brief stint with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2025.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

Due to the conditions, it was a stark contrast to some of the batting produced by England's World Cup-winning squad of 2019, but Root highlighted the importance of being able to adapt.

From BBC ● Jul. 16, 2026

Nine wickets for 99 runs might be the most consequential batting collapse in English cricketing history, with aftershocks still being felt seven months later.

From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026

The eloko was running too, batting away Koffi’s fireflies as it pursued them.

From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray

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

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 Moore, John Trotwood

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 Banks, Louis Albert