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; see origin at 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.

In Life on Earth, his team filmed bats in a wind-tunnel.

From BBC • May 9, 2026

Valdez had given up 10 runs, including back-to-back solo home runs in the previous two at bats, when Story took the plate in the top of the fourth inning on Tuesday at Comerica Park.

From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026

Its scientists have previously studied the spread of bovine tuberculosis as well as viruses carried by bats and the factors influencing their spillover into people.

From BBC • Apr. 28, 2026

Morens and the co-conspirators hoped to restore funding for research into whether it originated from bats, prosecutors said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 28, 2026

Birds and bats and butterflies hang throughout the space as if held by strings, completely still.

From "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern

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