batter

¹

[ bat-er ]

verb (used with object)

1. to beat persistently or hard; pound repeatedly.

   Synonyms: pelt, smite, belabor

2. to damage by beating or hard usage:

   Rough roads had battered the car. High winds were battering the coast.

   Synonyms: ruin, destroy, shiver, shatter, smash, wound, bruise

verb (used without object)

1. to deal heavy, repeated blows; pound steadily:

   continuing to batter at the front door.

noun

1. Printing.
   1. a damaged area on the face of type or plate.
   2. the resulting defect in print.

batter

²

[ bat-er ]

noun

1. a mixture of flour, milk or water, eggs, etc., beaten together for use in cooking.

verb (used with object)

1. to coat (an ingredient) with a mixture made from flour, milk, eggs, etc., especially as preparation for frying.

batter

³

[ bat-er ]

noun

, Sports.

1. a player who swings a bat or whose turn it is to bat, as in baseball or cricket.

batter

⁴

[ bat-er ]

verb (used without object)

1. (of the face of a wall or the like) to slope backward and upward.

noun

1. a backward and upward slope of the face of a wall or the like.

batter

¹

/ ˈbætə /

noun

1. the slope of the face of a wall that recedes gradually backwards and upwards

verb

1. intr to have such a slope

batter

²

/ ˈbætə /

verb

1. to hit (someone or something) repeatedly using heavy blows, as with a club or other heavy instrument; beat heavily
2. tr; often passive to damage or injure, as by blows, heavy wear, etc
3. tr social welfare to subject (a person, esp a close relative living in the same house) to repeated physical violence
4. tr to subject (a person, opinion, or theory) to harsh criticism; attack

batter

³

/ ˈbætə /

noun

1. a spree or debauch

batter

⁴

/ ˈbætə /

noun

1. sport a player who bats

batter

⁵

/ ˈbætə /

noun

1. a mixture of flour, eggs, and milk, used to make cakes, pancakes, etc, and to coat certain foods before frying

Word History and Origins

Origin of batter¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English bateren, probably from Middle French, Old French batre “to beat,” with the French infinitive ending -re identified with -er ⁶; bate ²

Origin of batter²

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English bat(o)ur, bat(e)re, perhaps from Anglo-French bature, Old French bat(e)ure “act of beating,” equivalent to bat(re) “to beat” + -eure (from -ātūra assumed abstract noun suffix); reinforced by batter ¹; bate ², -ate ², -ure

Origin of batter³

First recorded in 1765–75; bat ¹ + -er ¹

Origin of batter⁴

First recorded in 1540–50; of obscure origin

Word History and Origins

Origin of batter¹

C16 (vb: to incline): of uncertain origin

Origin of batter²

C14 bateren , probably from batten to bat ¹

Origin of batter³

C19: of unknown origin

Origin of batter⁴

C15 bater , probably from bateren to batter ¹

Example Sentences

Fear is right there too — fear for my daughters, for democracy, for this battered experiment of a country we still call home.

From Salon

The park also has been battered by storms and typhoons.

From Los Angeles Times

Their corner of Ventura County was battered by powerful Santa Ana winds every fall, and those gusts stoked fires that came close but never swept into their hillside community.

From Los Angeles Times

Owen’s Blanche, battered by life, looked in desperate need of a good night’s sleep.

From Los Angeles Times

After a stunning upset in Cleveland last week, Baltimore's top-ranked offence put the record straight with a dominant 41-10 battering of a previously stout Denver Broncos defence.

From BBC

Related Words

• dough