batter

/ˈbædər/

/ˈbætə/

Other forms: battered; battering; batters

To batter is to beat repeatedly, as if one boxer were clobbering another with blows.

Batter is one of those words with many meanings that seem entirely unrelated to each other. You can batter by hitting again and again, but there's also a batter in baseball — the guy who's holding a bat and waiting for the pitcher to throw the ball. Yet another meaning is the batter you mix up when you're making muffins, using eggs, flour, milk, and sugar. They all come from the same Latin root word, battuere, "to beat or strike."

Definitions of batter

1. verb

   strike violently and repeatedly
   synonyms: baste, clobber

   type of:

   beat, beat up, work over

   give a beating to; subject to a beating, either as a punishment or as an act of aggression
2. verb

   strike against forcefully
   synonyms: buffet, knock about

   type of:

   strike, zonk

   deliver a sharp blow, as with the hand, fist, or weapon
3. verb

   make a dent or impression in
   synonyms: dinge

   type of:

   change form, change shape, deform

   assume a different shape or form
4. noun

   (baseball) a ballplayer who is batting
   synonyms: batsman, hitter, slugger

   types:

   bunter

   a batter who bunts

   designated hitter

   a ballplayer who is designated to bat in place of the pitcher

   pinch hitter

   (baseball) a substitute for the regular batter

   switch-hitter

   a baseball player who can bat either right or left handed

   whiffer

   a batter who strikes out by swinging at and missing the third strike

   type of:

   ballplayer, baseball player

   an athlete who plays baseball
5. noun

   a liquid or semiliquid mixture, as of flour, eggs, and milk, used in cooking
   types:

   pate a choux, pouf paste, puff batter

   batter for making light hollow cases to hold various fillings

   pancake batter

   batter for making pancakes

   fritter batter

   batter for making fritters

   type of:

   concoction, intermixture, mixture

   any foodstuff made by combining different ingredients