batter

The word “batter” means to hit something or someone repeatedly and violently. In plain terms, to strike repeatedly and hard, the flour-and-egg mixture used in cooking, or the player currently hitting in cricket/baseball.

“Batter” is pronounced BA-tuh (/ˈbætɚ/ in IPA).

Here is “batter” used in a sentence: “Waves battered the small boat throughout the night.”

Words with a similar meaning to “batter” include batsman.

Depending on how it is used, “batter” can be a verb and a noun.

The word “batter” comes from Middle English. From Middle English batteren, a repeated-action form of "bat" — literally "to keep hitting.".

“Batter” is an uncommon word in modern English, usually learned at around the C1 level.

“Batter” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: to hit something or someone repeatedly and violently.

The verb "batter," meaning to hit something or someone repeatedly and violently, is closely related to "battery," the legal term for unlawfully striking or touching someone. Both words share the same underlying sense of physical striking.

In cricket, "batsman" is the traditional term for the player at bat, while "batter" is increasingly used as a gender-neutral alternative in cricket and is the standard term in baseball. Both refer to the same role: the player facing the bowler or pitcher.

Batter is a liquid or semi-liquid mixture of flour, egg, and milk used for baking or coating food before frying, while dough is a thicker, firmer mixture that can be kneaded or shaped by hand. Batter is poured or spread, whereas dough holds its shape.

These are separate senses of the same word: one describes a liquid cooking mixture, and the other describes striking something repeatedly. Context makes clear which sense is intended, whether in a kitchen or describing an act of violence.