bat

UK: /ˈbæt/ US: /bæt/ ,(bat)

Inflections of 'bat' (v): (⇒ conjugate)

bats

v 3rd person singular

batting

v pres p

batted

v past

batted

v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

bat¹ /bæt/   n., v., bat•ted, bat•ting. 
n. [countable]

1. Sport a club used in certain games, as baseball, to strike the ball.
2. a heavy stick or cudgel.

v. 

3. [~ + object] to strike or hit with or as if with a bat.
4. [no object] to take one's turn as a batter.

Idioms

5. Idioms go to bat for, [~ + object] Informal. to help by speaking or acting in favor of.

bat² /bæt/   n. [countable]

1. Mammals a flying nocturnal mammal,often the size of a mouse.

bat³ /bæt/   v. [~ + object] , bat•ted, bat•ting. 

1. to wink or flutter:
   batted her eyelashes.

Idioms

2. Idioms not bat an eye, to show no emotion:
   didn't bat an eye when I told her about the murder.

-bat-, root. 

1. -bat- comes from Latin, where it means "beat, fight.'' This meaning is found in such words as: battalion, batten, battle, combat.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

bat¹  (bat), n., v., bat•ted, bat•ting. 
n. 

1. Sport
   • the wooden club used in certain games, as baseball and cricket, to strike the ball.
   • a racket, esp. one used in badminton or table tennis.
   • a whip used by a jockey.
   • the act of using a club or racket in a game.
   • the right or turn to use a club or racket.
2. a heavy stick, club, or cudgel.
3. [Informal.] a blow, as with a bat.
4. any fragment of brick or hardened clay.
5. [Masonry.] a brick cut transversely so as to leave one end whole.
6. British Terms speed;
   rate of motion or progress, esp. the pace of the stroke or step of a race.
7. Slang Terms a spree;
   binge:
   to go on a bat.
8. Ceramics
   • a sheet of gelatin or glue used in bat printing.
   • a slab of moist clay.
   • a ledge or shelf in a kiln.
   • a slab of plaster for holding a piece being modeled or for absorbing excess water from slip.
9. Textiles batt.
10. at bat, [Baseball.]
    • taking one's turn to bat in a game:
      at bat with two men in scoring position.
    • an instance at bat officially charged to a batter except when the batter is hit by a pitch, receives a base on balls, is interfered with by the catcher, or makes a sacrifice hit or sacrifice fly:
      two hits in three at bats.
11. Idioms go to bat for, [Informal.] to intercede for;
    vouch for;
    defend:
    to go to bat for a friend.
12. right off the bat, [Informal.] at once;
    without delay:
    They asked me to sing right off the bat.

v.t. 

13. to strike or hit with or as if with a bat or club.
14. Sport [Baseball.] to have a batting average of;
    hit:
    He batted.325 in spring training.

v.i. 

15. Sport
    • to strike at the ball with the bat.
    • to take one's turn as a batter.
16. Slang Terms to rush.
17. Sport bat around:
    • [Slang.] to roam;
      drift.
    • [Informal.] to discuss or ponder;
      debate:
      We batted the idea around.
    • Sport [Baseball.] to have every player in the lineup take a turn at bat during a single inning.
18. Sport bat in, [Baseball.] to cause (a run) to be scored by getting a hit:
    He batted in two runs with a double to left.
19. bat out, to do, write, produce, etc., hurriedly:
    I have to bat out a term paper before class.
20. Idioms bat the breeze. See breeze ¹ (def. 5).

• Old French batre; see batter¹
• Celtic; compare Irish, Scots Gaelic bat, bata staff, cudgel; (verb, verbal) Middle English batten, partly from the noun, nominal, partly
• (noun, nominal) Middle English bat, bot, batte, Old English batt, perh. 1175–1225

Synonyms

• 13. knock, wallop, swat, smack, sock, slug; clout, clobber.

bat²  (bat), n. 

1. Mammals any of numerous flying mammals of the order Chiroptera, of worldwide distribution in tropical and temperate regions, having modified forelimbs that serve as wings and are covered with a membranous skin extending to the hind limbs.
2. Idioms blind as a bat, nearly or completely blind;
   having very poor vision:
   Anyone can tell that he's blind as a bat, but he won't wear glasses.
3. Idioms have bats in one's belfry, [Informal.] to have crazy ideas;
   be very peculiar, erratic, or foolish:
   If you think you can row across the ocean in that boat, you have bats in your belfry.

• Scandinavian; compare dialect, dialectal Swedish natt-blacka
• Scandinavian), Middle English balke for *blake
• Scandinavian; compare dialect, dialectal Swedish natt-batta, variant of Old Swedish natt-bakka night-bat; replacing Middle English bakke (
• apparently 1570–75

bat′like′, adj. 

bat³  (bat), v.t., bat•ted, bat•ting. 

1. to blink;
   wink;
   flutter.
2. Idioms not bat an eye, to show no emotion or surprise;
   maintain a calm exterior:
   The murderer didn't bat an eye when the jury announced its verdict of guilty.

• variant of bate² 1605–15

bat., 

1. Military battalion.
2. battery.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

bat / bæt/ noun

1. any of various types of club with a handle, used to hit the ball in certain sports, such as cricket, baseball, or table tennis
2. a flat round club with a short handle, resembling a table-tennis bat, used by a person on the ground to guide the pilot of an aircraft when taxiing
3. short for batter3
4. any stout stick, esp a wooden one
5. a blow from such a stick
6. a drinking spree; binge
7. speed; rate; pace: they went at a fair bat
8. another word for batting1
9. carry one's bat ⇒ (of an opening batter) to reach the end of an innings without being dismissed
10. off one's own bat ⇒ of one's own accord; without being prompted by someone else
11. by one's own unaided efforts

verb (bats, batting, batted)

1. (transitive) to strike with or as if with a bat
2. (intransitive) (of a player or a team) to take a turn at batting

Etymology: Old English batt club, probably of Celtic origin; compare Gaelic bat, Russian bat

bat / bæt/ noun

1. any placental mammal of the order Chiroptera, being a nocturnal mouselike animal flying with a pair of membranous wings (patagia). The group is divided into the Megachiroptera (fruit bats) and Microchiroptera (insectivorous bats)
2. an irritating or eccentric woman (esp in the phrase old bat)
3. blind as a bat ⇒ having extremely poor eyesight
4. have bats in the belfry, have bats in one's belfry ⇒ to be mad or eccentric; have strange ideas

Etymology: 14th Century bakke, probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse ledhrblaka leather-flapper, Swedish dialect natt-batta night bat

bat / bæt/ verb (bats, batting, batted)(transitive)

1. to wink or flutter (one's eyelids)
2. not bat an eye, not bat an eyelid ⇒ to show no surprise or concern

Etymology: 17th Century: probably a variant of bate²