battering

noun

bat·ter·ing ˈba-tə-riŋ

: violent physical abuse that usually involves the act of striking someone repeatedly or heavily in order to cause injury

Feminists turned violence against women, previously a well-kept secret, into a public political issue; made rape, incest, battering and sexual harassment understood as crimes; and got public funding for shelters for battered women.—

The Nation

: a damaging experience or situation : an injury, setback, or defeat

That was the year Canada rebounded from a 28–4 battering in the round-robin to beat the U.S. 17–16 in the championship final …—

Bob Kravitz

While her confidence took a battering [=was damaged], she kept a game face throughout the season.—

Sally Bedell Smith

Examples of battering in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Wind gusts of over 100 miles per hours and record rainfall caused significant destruction in the Tampa Bay area, including the battering of the city’s famous ballpark in St. Petersburg. —

Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 10 Oct. 2024 The Gulf Coast has taken an outsized battering this season. —

NBC News, 26 Sep. 2024 The misguided film took a critical battering (19% fresh reviews on Rotten Tomatoes), with many people mocking the movie’s uncanny use of digital effects to make actors appear feline. —

Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 13 Sep. 2024 That meant that the vice president ascended to the presidential nomination without the typical months-long battering by party rivals. —

James Rainey, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2024 See all Example Sentences for battering