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.

First identified in 1976 and believed to have originated in bats, Ebola is a deadly viral disease spread through direct contact with bodily fluids.

From Barron's • May 19, 2026

Scientists believe African fruit bats may be the source of the viruses that cause Ebola, according to the CDC.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 18, 2026

Most Ebola spillover events, which is when a virus like Ebola is transmitted to humans, occur in miners working deep in caves where bats live.

From MarketWatch • May 17, 2026

A specialist opener by trade, he usually bats at three for the north-east county.

From BBC • May 13, 2026

There were bats in one room that still had part of its roof.

From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall

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