battered; battering; batters
1
a
: to beat with successive blows so as to bruise, shatter, or demolish
battered down the door
women who have been battered by their husbands
b
: bombard
battering targets with artillery fire
battering the lawyer with questions
c
law
: to commit battery against (someone) : to offensively touch or use force on (a person) without the person's consent
… was battered and cut badly enough to be hospitalized overnight.—
N. R. Kleinfield
N. R. Kleinfield… studies showing that a woman is at greatest risk of being battered, and even murdered, by her partner when he suspects her of sexual infidelity.—Sharon Begley
Sharon Begley2
: to subject to strong, overwhelming, or repeated attack
battered by forces of change
Their confidence was battered by a series of losses.
3
: to wear or damage by hard usage or blows
a battered old hat
1
2
law
: to commit battery against another : to offensively touch or use force on a person without the person's consent
… the personality characteristics and life histories that lead men to batter and kill.—Erica Goode
Erica Goode1
a
: a mixture consisting chiefly of flour, egg, and milk or water and being thin enough to pour or drop from a spoon
thin pancake batter
b
: a mixture (as of flour and egg) used as a coating for food that is to be fried
dip the chicken in the batter
beer batter
2
: an instance of battering (see batter entry 1)
battered; battering; batters
food
: to coat with a mixture (as of flour and egg) for frying : to coat (food) with batter (see batter entry 2 sense 1b)
fish that has been battered and fried
: a receding upward slope of the outer face of a wall or other structure
battered; battering; batters
: to give a receding upward slope to (something, such as a wall)
: one that strikes or hits a ball with a bat
especially
: the player whose turn it is to bat
The pitcher walked the first batter.
Synonyms
Verb (1)
- bash
- baste
- bat
- beat
- belabor
- belt
- birch
- bludgeon
- buffet
- bung up
- club
- curry
- do
- drub
- fib [British]
- flog
- hammer
- hide
- lace
- lambaste
- lambast
- lash
- lather
- lick
- maul
- mess (up)
- paddle
- pelt
- pommel
- pound
- pummel
- punch out
- rough (up)
- slate
- slog
- switch
- tan
- thrash
- thresh
- thump
- tromp
- wallop
- whale
- whip
- whop
- whap
- whup
- work over
Examples of batter in a Sentence
Verb (1)
children battered the piñata until it broke open
planes battered the city for weeks
Recent Examples on the Web
Ashia Aubourg, Outside Online, 8 Nov. 2024
The shortstop looked more comfortable in the batter's box than ever before and he's set to get paid because of it.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
The flash floods battered regions like Barrio de la Torre in Valencia, where narrow streets became lethal watercourses.
—Nina Turner, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for batter 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
This high-protein flatbread-of-sorts involves blending one cup of cottage cheese with two eggs, salt, and dried oregano into a batter.
—Ashia Aubourg, Outside Online, 8 Nov. 2024
The shortstop looked more comfortable in the batter's box than ever before and he's set to get paid because of it.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2024
Verb
Owen’s Blanche, battered by life, looked in desperate need of a good night’s sleep.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2024
The flash floods battered regions like Barrio de la Torre in Valencia, where narrow streets became lethal watercourses.
—Nina Turner, Newsweek, 31 Oct. 2024
See all Example Sentences for batter
Articles Related to batter
Dictionary Entries Near batter
Cite this Entry
“Batter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/batter. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
batter
1 of 3 verb
bat·ter
ˈbat-ər 
1
: to beat with repeated violent blows
batter down the door
2
: to wear down or injure by hard use
wore a battered old hat
batterer
noun
batter
2 of 3 noun
: a thin mixture chiefly of flour and liquid beaten together
cake batter
batter
3 of 3 noun
: one that bats
especially
: the baseball player at bat
Etymology
Verb
Middle English bateren "to beat"
Noun
Middle English bater "thin mixture," probably derived from bateren "to beat"
Noun
bat and -er (noun suffix)
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