1
: a stout solid stick : club
2
: a sharp blow : stroke
3
a
: a usually wooden implement used for hitting the ball in various games
b
: a paddle used in various games (such as table tennis)
c
: the short whip used by a jockey
4
5
: batt
6
British
: rate of speed : gait
7
: a drinking spree : binge
see also:
batted; batting
1
: to strike or hit with or as if with a bat
2
a
: to advance (a base runner) by batting
b
: to have a batting average of
3
: to discuss at length : consider in detail
1
a
: to strike or hit a ball with a bat
b
: to take one's turn at bat
2
: to wander aimlessly
plural bats
: any of a widely distributed order (Chiroptera) of nocturnal usually frugivorous or insectivorous flying mammals that have wings formed from four elongated digits of the forelimb covered by a cutaneous membrane and that have adequate visual capabilities but often rely on echolocation
see also:
batted; batting
: to wink especially in surprise or emotion
never batted an eye
bachelor of arts in teaching
Examples of bat in a Sentence
Noun (1)
a sharp bat with a rolled-up newspaper and that fly was a goner
riot policemen armed with bats and tear gas
Verb (1)
batted the lamp off the table with one strike
batted the piñata until it finally broke open
on Sunday afternoons we'd pile into Father's car and bat around the countryside
Recent Examples on the Web
Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 1 May 2026
Chapman, though, struck out for the eighth time in his last 13 at-bats, then Arraez hit a rocket that wound up in the glove of diving Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 1 May 2026
Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 2 May 2026
Gavin Sheets was also on the bench, making last night the first time since July 28, 2019, that the Padres had no position players batting from the left side in the starting lineup.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for bat
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
The front part of the lineup accounted for most of the scoring for the Wildcats, who sent 10 batters to the plate and scored five runs in their first at-bat.
—Lou Ponsi, Oc Register, 1 May 2026
Chapman, though, struck out for the eighth time in his last 13 at-bats, then Arraez hit a rocket that wound up in the glove of diving Phillies third baseman Alec Bohm.
—Justice Delos Santos, Mercury News, 1 May 2026
Verb
Fan flowers tolerate heat, intense sun, humidity, and drought without batting an eye.
—Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 2 May 2026
Gavin Sheets was also on the bench, making last night the first time since July 28, 2019, that the Padres had no position players batting from the left side in the starting lineup.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for bat
Cite this Entry
“Bat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bat. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bat
2 of 4 verb
batted; batting
1
: to strike or hit with or as if with a bat
2
: to take one's turn at bat in baseball
3
: to have a batting average of
is batting .300
bat
3 of 4 noun
: any of an order of night-flying mammals with the forelimbs modified to form wings
bat
4 of 4 verb
batted; batting
: to wink especially in surprise or emotion
never batted an eye
Etymology
Noun
Old English batt "club"
Noun
from Middle English bakke "flying bat"; probably of Scandinavian origin
Verb
probably an altered form of earlier bate "to beat the wings in an impatient manner"
Medical Definition
bat
noun
: any of an order (Chiroptera) of nocturnal placental flying mammals with forelimbs modified to form wings
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
