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.

On a cold and intermittently rainy night in San Francisco, the Dodgers’ bats were cold, and most productive when not used.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

As well as educating local people on wildfires and prevention, the campaign also works to inform people about the importance of bats in nature.

From BBC • Apr. 20, 2026

It’s one of the hazards of the job, along with fertilizer-soaked boots, ripped pants from ladder cages, and encounters with pigeons, mice and sleeping bats.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 7, 2026

Fans are going to ask: What is going on with the Dodgers’ bats?

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

I plunge into the darkness...and immediately scream and drop my phone as a group of bats whirl into a frenzy near the ceiling as soon as the light shines on them.

From "Fast Pitch" by Nic Stone

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