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; 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

With the USA bats continuing to flail against Rodriguez, the Venezuelans doubled their lead in the top of the fifth inning.

From Barron's • Mar. 18, 2026

Paul Skenes versus a lineup so deep Julio Rodriguez bats seventh?

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 15, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

I visited the temples: the Govindji, with its great hall and its row of columns like tree trunks and its high ceilings where neat rows of bats hung like small furry pennants.

From "Homeless Bird" by Gloria Whelan

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