batter

verb

ˈba-tər How to pronounce batter (audio)
Definition of batternext
1
as in to lick
to strike repeatedly children battered the piñata until it broke open

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in to bomb
to use bombs or artillery against planes battered the city for weeks

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb batter contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of batter are cripple, maim, mangle, and mutilate. While all these words mean "to injure so severely as to cause lasting damage," batter implies a series of blows that bruise deeply, deform, or mutilate.

an old ship battered by fierce storms

When is cripple a more appropriate choice than batter?

The synonyms cripple and batter are sometimes interchangeable, but cripple implies the loss or serious impairment of an arm or leg.

crippled for life in an accident

When can maim be used instead of batter?

While in some cases nearly identical to batter, maim implies the loss or injury of a bodily member through violence.

maimed by a shark

When is it sensible to use mangle instead of batter?

In some situations, the words mangle and batter are roughly equivalent. However, mangle implies a tearing or crushing that leaves deep wounds.

a soldier's leg mangled by shrapnel

In what contexts can mutilate take the place of batter?

Although the words mutilate and batter have much in common, mutilate implies the cutting off or removal of an essential part of a person or thing thereby impairing its completeness, beauty, or function.

a tree mutilated by inept pruning

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of batter The second inning included a three-run home run from Muncy that knocked Warren from the game, leaving him battered with a season-high seven runs allowed in 1⅓ innings. —Doug Padilla, Oc Register, 31 May 2025 Buster’s life was further battered by a bad relationship and the death of his brother Tom by suicide. —Dan Kelly, Kansas City Star, 25 May 2025 This version of chicken on a stick is simple: an oversized juicy chicken tender that stretches the entire length of a bamboo skewer that’s floured, battered, and fried. —Ann Taylor Pittman, Southern Living, 24 May 2025 When battered and captured Russian tanks are lined up for display along a Kyiv street, Ukrainians gawk and prod (and punch) as if at a surreal car show. —Lauren Wissot, IndieWire, 21 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for batter
Recent Examples of Synonyms for batter
  1. lick
  2. bomb
  3. pound
  4. shell
  5. lash
  6. bat
  7. whip
  8. hide
Verb
  • But Fahy, Alcock, and director Nicole Kassell are also very good at their jobs, and so even downright bizarre moments like Simone chewing Michaela’s used gum or Devon randomly licking a landscaper’s neck wind up making a strange sort of sense.
    — Caroline Framke, Vulture, 22 May 2025
  • Jose shrugs, pleads with her to not lick anyone at the inn, and leaves.
    — Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 22 May 2025
Definition of lick
Verb
  • None of it happens if Torre doesn’t bomb the LSAT his senior year of college.
    — Zak Keefer, New York Times, 30 May 2025
  • When the Japanese military bombed Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, Toguri was trapped with no identification to secure a passage home.
    — Kori Rumore, Chicago Tribune, 28 May 2025
Definition of bomb
Verb
  • Every time my phone rang, my heart started pounding.
    — Matt Wolf, Vulture, 28 May 2025
  • After the car came to a stop, the video showed, angry Liverpool fans swarmed it again, pounding on its windows and exterior as police rushed to secure the scene.
    — Chantal Da Silva, NBC news, 28 May 2025
Definition of pound
Verb
  • On Sunday, Russia shelled residential neighborhoods of the eastern Ukrainian city of Kherson, killing a 75-year-old woman and injuring two other people, the city council posted on the Telegram messaging site.
    — Alexander Smith, NBC news, 19 May 2025
  • Rajab and her family had been fleeing Gaza City when their vehicle was shelled, killing her uncle, aunt and three cousins.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 13 May 2025
Definition of shell
Verb
  • In a second Memorial Day social media post, Trump focused largely on lashing out at federal judges and perceived political opponents.
    — Alexandra Hutzler, ABC News, 26 May 2025
  • President Donald Trump lashed out at Russian President Vladimir Putin for continuing to attack Ukraine while talks are ongoing between the two countries to find an end to the ongoing conflict.
    — Peter Aitken, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 May 2025
Definition of lash
Verb
  • Bohm has not batted higher than sixth since April 9.
    — Matt Gelb, New York Times, 26 May 2025
  • Barcelona had chances of its own – the Spanish team took 14 shots in the second half alone – but each effort bounced off the woodwork, narrowly missed the goal or was batted away by Daphne van Domselaar.
    — Issy Ronald, CNN Money, 25 May 2025
Definition of bat
Verb
  • The Clippers were playing in Houston and the Clippers were whipping the Rockets’ ass.
    — Andre Gee, Rolling Stone, 29 May 2025
  • This small kitchen appliance has a variable speed trigger switch to make blending, pureeing, frothing, whipping and chopping as easy as pressing a button.
    — BestReviews, Chicago Tribune, 29 May 2025
Definition of whip
Verb
  • Though Polish presidential candidates often stand as individuals, rather than representatives of a party, there is little hiding their affiliations, and each major party historically endorses and campaigns for a candidate.
    — Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 2 June 2025
  • Ukraine was able to smuggle drones deep into Russia by hiding them in the tops of flatbed trucks, which parked near military bases before the drones lifted off to attack planes on the runway.
    — Brittney Melton, NPR, 2 June 2025
Definition of hide

Browse Nearby Words

battens (down)
batter
battered
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Batter.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/batter. Accessed 7 Jun. 2025.

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More from Merriam-Webster on batter

Nglish: Translation of batter for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about batter

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