baton

noun

ba·​ton bə-ˈtän 

ba-,

also

ˈba-tᵊn 

plural batons

1

: cudgel, truncheon

specifically : billy club

2

: a staff borne as a symbol of office

3

: a narrow heraldic bend

4

: a slender rod with which a leader directs a band or orchestra

5

: a hollow cylinder carried by each member of a relay team and passed to the succeeding runner

6

: a hollow metal rod with a weighted bulb at one or both ends that is flourished by a drum major or drum majorette

7

: a piece of food that has been cut into a narrow strip that is thicker than a julienned piece of food

We cut carrots into slabs, then batons, then dice.

—Janet Rausa Fuller

Synonyms

• bastinado
• bastinade
• bat
• billy
• billy club
• bludgeon
• cane
• club
• cudgel
• nightstick
• rod
• rung [Scottish]
• sap
• shillelagh
• shillalah
• staff
• truncheon
• waddy [Australian]

Examples of baton in a Sentence

The majorette twirled the baton.

the detainee claimed that the police had beat him with their batons even after he had been shackled

Recent Examples on the Web

The incident occurred last Tuesday during a championship meet, as footage showed Everett smashing her baton onto the head of Brookville High School junior Kaelen Tucker during a relay race. —Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 14 Mar. 2025

The high school athlete who bashed a competitor in the head with her baton during a track meet in Virginia is now facing criminal charges. —Preezy Brown, VIBE.com, 13 Mar. 2025

Video footage shows Everett swinging her baton, appearing to strike Tucker in the head before Tucker drops her baton and runs to the side. —Ingrid Vasquez, People.com, 13 Mar. 2025

In these opening moments, under the precise yet deceptively casual baton of Arin Arbus’s direction, the music of Koogler’s script finds its fullest, most vital expression. —Sara Holdren, Vulture, 6 Mar. 2025

Word History

Etymology

French bâton, from Old French baston, ultimately from Late Latin bastum stick

First Known Use

1520, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing baton

• passed the baton

Rhymes for baton

• anton
• argon
• axon
• baronne
• baryon
• boron
• buisson
• bygone
• capon
• cardon
• chiffon
• coupon

Kids Definition

baton

noun

ba·​ton bə-ˈtän 

ba-

1

: a staff borne as a symbol of office

2

: a stick with which a leader directs a band or orchestra

3

: a hollow rod passed from one member of a relay team to another

4

: a staff with a ball at one or both ends carried by a drum major or baton twirler