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
Noun (1)
a sharp bat with a rolled-up newspaper and that fly was a goner
riot policemen armed with bats and tear gas
Verb (1)
batted the lamp off the table with one strike
batted the piñata until it finally broke open
on Sunday afternoons we'd pile into Father's car and bat around the countryside
Recent Examples on the Web
Tim Ellis, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
Felines are known to climb up and tip over trees, bat off and break fragile ornaments, and cause general chaos around the tree.
—Kelli Bender, People.com, 29 Nov. 2024
Alex Rodway, CNN, 6 Dec. 2024
Arenado can still help a team in need of a fine defensive third baseman, with some pop remaining in his bat.
—Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bat 
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show current usage.
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Verb
Ultimately, Australia only managed to bat for 110 overs across the whole match, something that certainly didn’t work the legs of Bumrah and Siraj enough.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes, 2 Dec. 2024
Felines are known to climb up and tip over trees, bat off and break fragile ornaments, and cause general chaos around the tree.
—Kelli Bender, People.com, 29 Nov. 2024
Noun
Among mammals, bats are considered the major pollinators.
—Alex Rodway, CNN, 6 Dec. 2024
Arenado can still help a team in need of a fine defensive third baseman, with some pop remaining in his bat.
—Bernie Pleskoff, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for bat
Dictionary Entries Near bat
Cite this Entry
“Bat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bat. Accessed 11 Dec. 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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