bats

American

[bats] / bæts /

adjective

Slang.

insane; crazy.

He's gone bats.

bats British

/ bæts /

adjective

informal crazy; very eccentric

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of bats

First recorded in 1915–20; see origin at bat ², -s ³

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Lib Dem county councillor, Julian Tooke, said "bats are protected and apparently we have 12 out of the 14 species that exist nationally so you have to find somewhere to move them".

From BBC • Mar. 30, 2026

And she has one of the best laugh lines in the movie when she bats her eyes at the baddies and tries to placate them with, “You guys seem like good people.”

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 19, 2026

Starting pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez stifled the USA bats led by New York Yankees home run king Aaron Judge.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

There are sleek composite bats that cost up to $450.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

The bats in his chest were going nuts.

From "The Lemonade War" by Jacqueline Davies

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023