bat

1 of 5

noun (1)

ˈbat 

1

: a stout solid stick : club

2

: a sharp blow : stroke

3

a

: a usually wooden implement used for hitting the ball in various games

b

: a paddle used in various games (such as table tennis)

c

: the short whip used by a jockey

4

a

: batsman, batter

a right-handed bat

b

: a turn at batting

—usually used in the phrase at bat

c

: hitting ability

we need his bat in the lineup

5

: batt

6

British : rate of speed : gait

7

: a drinking spree : binge

bat

2 of 5

verb (1)

batted; batting

transitive verb

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

intransitive verb

1

a

: to strike or hit a ball with a bat

b

: to take one's turn at bat

2

: to wander aimlessly

bat

3 of 5

noun (2)

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

bat

4 of 5

verb (2)

batted; batting

transitive verb

: to wink especially in surprise or emotion

never batted an eye

also : flutter

batted his eyelashes

BAT

5 of 5

abbreviation

bachelor of arts in teaching

Phrases

off one's own bat

chiefly British : through one's own efforts

off the bat

: without delay : immediately

recognized him right off the bat

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)

• bang
• bash
• belt
• biff
• bludgeon
• bob
• bonk
• bop
• box
• bust
• clap
• clip
• clobber
• clock
• clout
• crack
• hammer
• hit
• knock
• nail
• paste
• pound
• punch
• rap
• slam
• slap
• slog
• slug
• smack
• smite
• sock
• strike
• swat
• swipe
• tag
• thump
• thwack
• wallop
• whack
• whale
• zap

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

Verb

An infielder and outfielder, Randle batted .257 with 27 home runs and 322 RBIs in a 12-year major league career (1971-82) with the Washington Senators, Texas Rangers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and Seattle Mariners. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2024

To us, as individuals who frequently whip up 12-clove Garlic Chicken Stir-Fry and don’t bat an eye about adding about 48 cloves to our homemade Chili Crisp, Ina Garten’s viral Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic recipe seems totally reasonable. —Karla Walsh, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Dec. 2024

Noun

These winds tend to blow in the general northeasterly direction of the bats migration this time of year, giving the bats — which weigh about an ounce — a significant lift. —Jonathan Lambert, NPR, 4 Jan. 2025

After adding Matthew Boyd earlier in the offseason, the Cubs now need to focus on getting bats to round out the lineup. —Dan Perry, Newsweek, 4 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English batt

Noun (2)

probably alteration of Middle English bakke, of Scandinavian origin; akin to Old Swedish nattbakka bat

Verb (2)

probably alteration of bate entry 2

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1580, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

circa 1787, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing bat

• (as) blind as a bat
• at bat
• bat around
• bat a thousand
• bat-eared fox
• bat girl
• bat in
• bat mitzvah
• bat out
• bat ray
• big brown bat
• free-tailed bat
• fruit bat
• fungo bat
• go to bat
• go to bat for
• like a bat out of hell
• little brown bat
• not bat an eye/eyelash
• not bat an eyelid
• vampire bat

Kids Definition

bat

1 of 4 noun

ˈbat 

1

: a stout solid stick : club

2

: a sharp blow

3

: a usually wooden implement used for hitting the ball in various games (as baseball)

4

: a turn at batting

next at bat

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

ˈbat 

: any of an order (Chiroptera) of nocturnal placental flying mammals with forelimbs modified to form wings