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

Maggie Henriquez, chief executive officer at Baccarat since 2022, is passing the crystal baton to Printemps executive Laurence Nicolas, who will take up the management helm of the French luxury firm in early 2025. —Miles Socha, WWD, 21 Nov. 2024

The passing of the baton is official: British maestro Alexander Shelley will succeed Carl St.Clair as artistic and musical director of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra. —Samantha Dunn, Orange County Register, 13 Nov. 2024

Cain became executive director in October 1993 and worked hard to grow audiences for the NWI Symphony, teamed with the baton direction of Maestro Kirk Muspratt in his musical leadership role for the past two decades. —Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 6 Nov. 2024

The passing of the baton from one secretary to the next is actually an intricate, storied tradition, Psaki said. —Jane Thier, Fortune, 30 Oct. 2024

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

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