batch

American  

[bach] / bætʃ /

noun

1. a quantity or number coming at one time or taken together.

   a batch of prisoners.

   Synonyms:

   troop, pack, gang, flock, band, set, number, lot, group, bunch

2. the quantity of material prepared or required for one operation.

   mixing a batch of concrete.

3. the quantity of bread, cookies, dough, or the like, made at one baking.

4. Computers.

   1. a group of jobs, data, or programs treated as a unit for computer processing.

   2. batch processing.

5. Glassmaking.

   1. a quantity of raw materials mixed in proper proportions and prepared for fusion into glass.

   2. the material so mixed.

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verb (used with object)

1. to combine, mix, or process in a batch.

batch ¹ British  

/ bætʃ /

noun

1. a group or set of usually similar objects or people, esp if sent off, handled, or arriving at the same time

2. the bread, cakes, etc, produced at one baking

3. the amount of a material needed for an operation

4. Also called: batch loaf.  a tall loaf having a close texture and a thick crust on the top and bottom, baked as part of a batch: the sides of each loaf are greased so that they will pull apart after baking to have pale crumby sides; made esp in Scotland and Ireland Compare pan loaf

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verb

1. to group (items) for efficient processing

2. to handle by batch processing

batch ² British  

/ bætʃ /

verb

1. (intr) (of a man) to do his own cooking and housekeeping

2. to live alone

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Etymology

Origin of batch

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English bache “amount of bread produced in one baking,” Old English gebæc; akin to German Gebäck “pastry, cakes”; see origin at bake

Explanation

A batch is a completed group, collection, or quantity of something, especially something that's just been made. You might, for example, bake a batch of cookies to take to your new neighbor. A company that makes soap might deliver a batch, loaded on a truck, to a new store in Vermont, and if you manage a bakery you might declare, "That's it! This is our last batch of gingerbread until next year!" In computer lingo, a batch is, similarly, a group or collection of records. The Old English root, bæcce, means "something baked," from bacan, "bake."

Example Sentences

A colleague in Manchester had asked him if they had seen any of a "bad batch" of vitamin D3.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2026

My colleague Megan Leonhardt writes that there’s little doubt that higher gas prices will show up in the data starting with tomorrow’s batch.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

New Vogue makes a fresh batch every morning for guests, simmering the collagen-rich drink so long it becomes somewhat gelatinous.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

They added only one notable appliance to their kitchen: a giant pot for rice, large enough to meal-prep a week’s worth of carbs in one batch.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 4, 2026

The girls were in the Faynes' front yard making their second batch of ice cream.

From "Scream for Ice Cream: Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew, #2" by Carolyn Keene

Related Words

• amount
• array
• assortment
• bunch
• bundle
• cluster
• collection
• lot
• parcel
• quantity
• shipment
• volume