batted; batting
1
: to strike or hit with or as if with a bat
2
a
: to advance (a base runner) by batting
b
: to have a batting average of
3
: to discuss at length : consider in detail
1
a
: to strike or hit a ball with a bat
b
: to take one's turn at bat
2
: to wander aimlessly
plural bats
: any of a widely distributed order (Chiroptera) of nocturnal usually frugivorous or insectivorous flying mammals that have wings formed from four elongated digits of the forelimb covered by a cutaneous membrane and that have adequate visual capabilities but often rely on echolocation
see also bats in the belfry
batted; batting
: to wink especially in surprise or emotion
never batted an eye
bachelor of arts in teaching
Synonyms
Noun (1)
- bang
- bash
- beat
- belt
- biff
- blow
- bop
- box
- buffet
- bust
- chop
- clap
- clip
- clout
- crack
- cuff
- dab
- douse [British]
- fillip
- hack
- haymaker
- hit
- hook
- knock
- larrup [dialect]
- lash
- lick
- pelt
- pick
- plump
- poke
- pound
- punch
- rap
- slam
- slap
- slug
- smack
- smash
- sock
- spank
- stinger
- stripe
- stroke
- swat
- swipe
- switch
- thud
- thump
- thwack
- wallop
- welt
- whack
- wham
- whop
- whap
Verb (1)
Examples of bat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2024
On Monday, Christian was named West Coast Conference Player of the Week after batting .563 (9-for-16) with four homers and seven RBIs the previous week.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024
Ohtani has been playing for the Dodgers throughout the scandal, batting .333 with three home runs and eight RBIs for National League-leading Los Angeles.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Mitty 9, Livermore 5 Miller batted 2 for 4 with two RBIs and a double in a win over Livermore.
—Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2024
But that doesn’t tell the entire story of Tiller, the Louisville slugger who batted his way through adversity.
—Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 4 Apr. 2024
Stovall has batted leadoff the past four games after batting sixth in his first game back and in the 2-hole spot for two games.
—Bob Holt, arkansasonline.com, 21 Mar. 2024
As a team, Hercules is batting .398 and has an on-base percentage of .580.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2024
To put this into context: Mizrahi is still positively batting away brands clamouring to kit the Brit out for her Vegas residency.
—Alice Newbold, Vogue, 27 Mar. 2024
Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024
Roman and her husband, Alexis Valenzuela, say Dodgers security personnel persuaded her to surrender the ball for a bat, a ball and two caps, all autographed by Ohtani.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
In 2021, only three people in the United States died from rabies contracted from bats.
—Krista Stevens, Longreads, 11 Apr. 2024
One of those drills was hitting off a tee using a bat with a flat barrel like a cricket bat.
—Bill Plunkett, Orange County Register, 11 Apr. 2024
In the video, one of the suspects appears to wrestle away an item believed to be Roberts’ rifle, while another suspect hits Roberts in the head with a long shiny item, possibly a baseball bat, before a gunshot is heard, according to the affidavit.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2024
According to the wildlife agency, gray foxes, along with bats and skunks, are among the most commonly infected with rabies.
—The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024
Mejia sprints out of his home with a bat like a bull when the gate opens.
—Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 5 Apr. 2024
Pro sports prioritize grip strength training for obvious reasons (such as gripping a bat or a ball), but it’s seldom considered a staple in general fitness programs.
—Dana Santas, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024
Verb
Shohei Ohtani pulled even with one of his boyhood idols with a milestone home run in the first inning and added doubles in the fifth and seventh innings to extend a torrid eight-game stretch in which the Dodgers slugger is batting .458 (16 for 35) with four homers, seven doubles and six RBIs.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2024
On Monday, Christian was named West Coast Conference Player of the Week after batting .563 (9-for-16) with four homers and seven RBIs the previous week.
—Kirk Kenney, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024
Ohtani has been playing for the Dodgers throughout the scandal, batting .333 with three home runs and eight RBIs for National League-leading Los Angeles.
—Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 11 Apr. 2024
Mitty 9, Livermore 5 Miller batted 2 for 4 with two RBIs and a double in a win over Livermore.
—Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 7 Apr. 2024
But that doesn’t tell the entire story of Tiller, the Louisville slugger who batted his way through adversity.
—Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 4 Apr. 2024
Stovall has batted leadoff the past four games after batting sixth in his first game back and in the 2-hole spot for two games.
—Bob Holt, arkansasonline.com, 21 Mar. 2024
As a team, Hercules is batting .398 and has an on-base percentage of .580.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 29 Mar. 2024
To put this into context: Mizrahi is still positively batting away brands clamouring to kit the Brit out for her Vegas residency.
—Alice Newbold, Vogue, 27 Mar. 2024
Noun
But once Gunn’s bats got going, there was no stopping a team that is now 5-0 in Santa Clara Valley Athletic League play.
—Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024
Roman and her husband, Alexis Valenzuela, say Dodgers security personnel persuaded her to surrender the ball for a bat, a ball and two caps, all autographed by Ohtani.
—Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 11 Apr. 2024
In 2021, only three people in the United States died from rabies contracted from bats.
—Krista Stevens, Longreads, 11 Apr. 2024
One of those drills was hitting off a tee using a bat with a flat barrel like a cricket bat.
—Bill Plunkett, Orange County Register, 11 Apr. 2024
In the video, one of the suspects appears to wrestle away an item believed to be Roberts’ rifle, while another suspect hits Roberts in the head with a long shiny item, possibly a baseball bat, before a gunshot is heard, according to the affidavit.
—Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 9 Apr. 2024
According to the wildlife agency, gray foxes, along with bats and skunks, are among the most commonly infected with rabies.
—The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024
Mejia sprints out of his home with a bat like a bull when the gate opens.
—Chris Eberhart, Fox News, 5 Apr. 2024
Pro sports prioritize grip strength training for obvious reasons (such as gripping a bat or a ball), but it’s seldom considered a staple in general fitness programs.
—Dana Santas, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'bat.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near bat
Cite this Entry
“Bat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bat. Accessed 23 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bat
2 of 4 verb
batted; batting
1
: to strike or hit with or as if with a bat
2
: to take one's turn at bat in baseball
3
: to have a batting average of
is batting .300
bat
3 of 4 noun
: any of an order of night-flying mammals with the forelimbs modified to form wings
bat
4 of 4 verb
batted; batting
: to wink especially in surprise or emotion
never batted an eye
Etymology
Noun
Old English batt "club"
Noun
from Middle English bakke "flying bat"; probably of Scandinavian origin
Verb
probably an altered form of earlier bate "to beat the wings in an impatient manner"
Medical Definition
bat
noun
: any of an order (Chiroptera) of nocturnal placental flying mammals with forelimbs modified to form wings
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