Bat definition

băt
bats batted batting
See word origin
Frequency:
(informal) To discuss or consider at length.

Bat an idea around.

verb
22
5
To strike with or as with a bat.
verb
14
1
(informal) A blow or hit.
noun
11
1
To take a turn at batting.

To bat third in the lineup.

verb
5
0
To use a bat.

To bat left-handed.

verb
5
1
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Any of an order (Chiroptera) of furry, nocturnal flying mammals having membranous wings and navigating by echolocation; chiropter: various bats feed on insects, nectar, fruit, flesh, or blood.
noun
4
0
Any of various nocturnal flying mammals of the order Chiroptera, having membranous wings that extend from the forelimbs to the hind limbs or tail and anatomical adaptations for echolocation, by which they navigate and hunt prey.
noun
4
0
A club used to strike the ball in baseball and cricket.
noun
4
1
A turn at batting, as in baseball.
noun
3
1
2
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A stout wooden stick; a cudgel.
noun
2
1
(slang) A drinking bout; spree.
noun
2
1
The definition of bat is a piece of equipment usually made of wood or metal, frequently used to hit a ball in sports, or a heavy duty stick, or a hard impact.

An example of a bat is the long wooden or metal instrument a baseball player uses to hit the ball.

An example of a bat is a large club a person keeps near their bed in case of a break-in.

An example of a bat is a hard whack over the head with a fireplace poker.

noun
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A bat is defined as a mammal who flies with the use of wings, is active at night, eats insects and/or fruit, and can see in the dark but mostly finds its way through the use of echolocation.

An example of a bat is a small flying black animal used in decorations for Halloween.

noun
1
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To bat means to hit something.

An example of bat is to strike a person in the foot with a large, heavy stick.

An example of bat is to hit the ball when playing in a baseball game.

verb
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Any of the small, nocturnal, flying mammals of the order Chiroptera, which navigate by means of echolocation. They look like a mouse with membranous wings extending from the forelimbs to the hind limbs or tail. Altogether, there are about 1,000 bat species in the world.
noun
1
0
(offensive) An old woman.
noun
1
0
A club made of wood or aluminium used for striking the ball in sports such as baseball, softball and cricket.
noun
1
0
A turn at hitting the ball with a bat in a game.
noun
1
0
(two-up) The piece of wood on which the spinner places the coins and then uses for throwing them.
noun
1
0
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(mining) Shale or bituminous shale.

noun
1
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A sheet of cotton used for filling quilts or comfortables; batting.
noun
1
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A part of a brick with one whole end.
noun
1
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To hit with a bat.
verb
1
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(intransitive) To take a turn at hitting a ball with a bat in sports like cricket, baseball and softball, as opposed to fielding.
verb
1
0
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(intransitive) To strike or swipe as though with a bat.

The cat batted at the toy.

verb
1
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To flutter: bat one's eyelashes.
verb
1
0
A blow, such as one delivered with a stick.
noun
1
1
(baseball) A rounded, often wooden club, wider and heavier at the hitting end and tapering at the handle, used to strike the ball.
noun
1
1
A club used in cricket, having a broad, flat-surfaced hitting end and a distinct, narrow handle.
noun
1
1
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To hit with or as if with a bat.
verb
1
1
To wink or flutter.

Bat one's eyelashes.

verb
1
1
Bachelor of Arts in Teaching.
abbreviation
1
1
Any stout club, stick, or cudgel.
noun
1
1
A ping-pong paddle, squash racket, etc.
noun
1
1
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(brit.) A batsman at cricket.
noun
1
1
Cotton batting, esp. of an inferior quality; batt.
noun
1
1
The whip used by a jockey.
noun
1
1
(brit., informal) Fast pace; speed.
noun
1
1
(ceramics) A disk made of plastic, plaster, etc. attached to the top of a potter's wheel and upon which clay is placed for shaping.
noun
1
1
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To have a batting average of.
verb
1
1
(informal) To wink; blink; flutter.
verb
1
1
The racket used in various games, such as table tennis or racquets.
noun
0
0
To cause (a run) to be scored while at bat.

Batted the winning run in with a double.

verb
0
0
To have (a certain percentage) as a batting average.
verb
0
0
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(slang) To wander about aimlessly.
verb
0
0
To use a bat.
verb
0
0
To have a turn at bat.
verb
0
0
Any of various nocturnal flying mammals of the order Chiroptera, having membranous wings that extend from the forelimbs to the hind limbs or tail and anatomical adaptations for echolocation, by which they navigate and hunt prey.
noun
0
0
A binge; a spree.
noun
0
0
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(obsolete) Packsaddle.
noun
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(sports) at bat
  • Taking one's turn to bat, as in baseball or cricket.
idiom
1
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go to bat for
  • To give assistance to; defend.
idiom
2
0
right off the bat
  • Without hesitation; immediately:
    They responded right off the bat.
idiom
1
0
have bats in (one's) belfry
  • To behave in an eccentric, bizarre manner.
idiom
1
0
(informal) not bat an eye
  • To show no emotion; appear unaffected:
    The reporter didn't bat an eyelash while reading the gruesome news.
idiom
1
0
at bat
  • taking a turn at batting
idiom
1
0
(slang) bat around
  • to travel or roam about
  • to consider or discuss (an idea, plan, etc.) freely and informally
  • to have all the batters in the lineup come to bat in a single inning
idiom
1
0
bat out
  • to create or compose quickly or hastily
idiom
1
0
go to bat for
  • to intervene on behalf of; defend
idiom
1
0
(right) off the bat
  • immediately
idiom
1
0
blind as a bat
  • quite blind
idiom
1
0
have bats in the belfry
  • to be insane; have crazy notions
idiom
1
0
not bat an eye
  • not show surprise
idiom
1
0

Other Word Forms

Noun

Singular:
bat
Plural:
bats

Idioms and Phrasal Verbs

go to bat for
right off the bat
not bat an eye
go to bat for
(right) off the bat
have bats in the belfry
not bat an eye

Origin of bat

  • Middle English perhaps partly of Celtic origin and partly from Old French batte pounding implement, flail (from batre to beat batter1)

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Alteration of Middle English bakke of Scandinavian origin

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Probably from batter spree

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Probably a variant of bate

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

  • Dialectal variant (akin to the dialectal Swedish term natt-batta) of Middle English bakke, balke, from Scandinavian (compare Old Swedish natbakka, Old Danish nathbakkæ (literally “night-flapper”), Old Norse leðrblaka (literally “leather-flapper”)).

    From Wiktionary

  • French bât, from Old French bast, from Vulgar Latin *bastum, form of *bastāre (“to carry”), from Late Greek *bastân, from Ancient Greek βαστάζω (bastázō, “to lift, carry”).

    From Wiktionary

  • Possibly a variant of bate.

    From Wiktionary

  • Cognate to baton.

    From Wiktionary

  • Old English batt

    From Wiktionary

Bat Sentence Examples

  • How is my little fruit bat doing?

  • They kept Logan's baseball gear there, and she felt the sudden need to have a bat in her hands.

  • At cricket he was equally good as a bat and as a wicket-keeper.

  • De Villeneuve and Penaud constructed their winged models on different types, the former selecting the bat, the latter the bird.

  • The comparatively few indigenous placental mammals, besides the dingo or wild dog - which, however, may have come from the islands north of this continent - are of the bat tribe and of the rodent or rat tribe.

More sentences

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Also Mentioned In

Words near bat in the Dictionary