bat

BAT/bæt/

Pluralbats

Verbbats, batting, batted

26 meanings of bat

Practice

1
flying mammalnouncountable
A flying animal, usually small, that is active mostly at night and usually eats insects or fruit.
Like a mouse with wings that flies around at night.
A bat flew out of the cave just after sunset.
Bats use sound to find insects in the dark.
UsageBlind as a bat means you can hardly see.
2
baseball sticknouncountable
A stick used to hit the ball in games like baseball and cricket, sometimes used as a weapon.
Like a thick stick made just for hitting a ball.
He swung the bat and just missed the ball.
The coach handed each player a new bat.
3
be at the plateverbintransitive
To take your turn at hitting the ball in games like baseball or cricket, instead of fielding.
Our team will bat first this afternoon.
He loves to bat when the game is close.
Oppositefield, bowl
4
nouncountable
A player's turn to hit the ball in a game.
Everyone gets a bat before we switch and field.
Let your little sister have a bat now.
UsageSay let her have a bat.
Similarinnings
5
verbtransitive
To hit something with a bat, or to hit it as if using one.
Bat the ball as hard as you can.
Dad batted the ball high into the air for us to catch.
UsageBat ideas around means talk about them freely.
Similarhit, strike, swat, knock, whack
Note
6
flutter lashesverbtransitive
To move your eyelids or eyelashes up and down quickly, or to wink.
She batted her long eyelashes playfully.
Bat your eyes and try to look innocent.
UsageNot bat an eye means not look surprised at all.
Similarflutter, blink
Note
7
nouncountable
A player judged by how well they hit the ball.
He is the best bat on the whole team.
She became a strong bat after years of practice.
Similarbatsman, batter, hitter
8
quilt fillingnouncountable
A flat layer of cotton used to fill quilts and padded covers.
Like the soft stuffing inside a thick blanket.
She laid a soft bat of cotton inside the quilt.
Cut the cotton bat a little bigger than the quilt top.
Similarbatt, wadding

Less common meanings

9
batterynounslangabbreviationclipping
Short for battery: the battery in a phone or other device, or how much charge it has left.
My phone's on low bat, so I'll call you later.
Got a charger? My bat is almost dead.
UsageYou may see low bat on a screen. It means low battery.
Note
10
nouncountable
A quick, hard hit or blow.
She gave the beach ball a bat over the net.
The kitten gave the dangling string a quick bat.
Similarblow, stroke, swipe, hit, whack
11
old womannounderogatorycountable
A rude word for an old woman.
The kids called her a mean old bat.
That old bat next door complains about everything.
UsageAlmost always used with old, as in an old bat or a silly old bat.
Similarhag, crone, witch
Note
12
speednouncolloquialcountable
How fast something is moving.
They drove off down the lane at quite a bat.
The old bus was going at a good bat down the hill.
UsageSay they drove off at a good bat.
Similarpace, rate, speed, clip, lick
Note
13
dart aboutverbintransitive
To move quickly from one place to another.
He has to bat around the country for work every week.
We batted around the market, stopping at every stall.
UsageSay bat around the country.
Similarflit, dart, flutter, zip
Note
14
backsidenoundialectalCaribbeanMulticultural London Englishabbreviationclipping
Short for batty: a slang word for someone's bottom, used in Caribbean and London English.
He slipped on the ice and landed hard on his bat.
She told the kids to sit their bats down and behave.
Note
15
Thai moneynoundated
Older form of baht: the money used in Thailand.
Note
16
bingenoundatedUScountable
A wild time of partying or heavy drinking, sometimes lasting for days.
Like a big party that keeps going for days.
After payday, the sailors went on a bat that lasted all weekend.
He came home sick after a long bat with his old friends.
UsageOften in go on a bat.
Similarbinge, spree, bender, jag
Note
17
flap wingsverbobsoleteUK
To flap or flutter the wings, like a hawk on a perch.
Note
18
nounobsolete
A saddle used to carry loads on an animal's back.
Note
19
nounobsoleteUK
A child's shoe made without a welt, the strip that joins the sole to the top.
Note
20
nounobsoleteUK
A badly made boot, or one in bad shape.
Note
21
noun
A broken piece of brick that still has one whole end.
22
noun
A type of soft, layered rock, often dark, found near coal.
23
noun
A small flat piece of wood used to throw the coins in the game two-up.
24
noundialectalScotlandUK
A small bit of work, or a single effort at a task.
25
noundialectalScotlandUK
The way, speed, or state that something or someone is in.
26
noundialectalKent
A rough, simple walking stick made from a plain branch.

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of bat apart? Answer 3 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origins

Meanings 1, 11

A dialect form of Middle English "bakke," which came from North Germanic. It may relate to an Old Norse word meaning "leather flapper."

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

The animal name is a dialect variant of Middle English bakke. fr.wiktionary.org
Middle English bakke is of North Germanic origin. en.wiktionary.org
The name may relate to Old Norse leðrblaka, literally meaning leather flapper. en.wikipedia.org

Meanings 2, 4, 7–8, 10, 12, 16

From Old English "batt" meaning "club" or "cudgel," probably from a Celtic source, and ultimately from a very old root meaning "to strike or beat."

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

Bat derives from Old English batt, meaning club or cudgel. en.wiktionary.org
The Old English word probably came from a Celtic source. en.wiktionary.org
Its proposed ultimate root means to strike or beat. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 3, 5, 17

From Middle English "batten" ("to beat"), from Old French "batre," from Latin "battuere," whose origin is uncertain.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

Bat derives from Middle English batten, meaning 'to beat'. en.wiktionary.org
The Middle English verb derives from Old French batre. en.wiktionary.org
Old French batre derives ultimately from Latin battuere. en.wiktionary.org
The origin of Latin battuere is uncertain. en.wiktionary.org

Meanings 6, 13

Perhaps a form of bate, an old word for a hawk flapping its wings.

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 2 facts

Bat may be a variant of bate. en.wiktionary.org
Bate historically described a hawk flapping its wings. en.wiktionary.org

Meaning 18

Borrowed from French "bât," going back through Latin to an Ancient Greek word meaning "to lift or carry."

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 3 facts

Bat, meaning a packsaddle, was borrowed from French bât. en.wiktionary.org
French bât ultimately derives through Latin from Ancient Greek. en.wiktionary.org
The Ancient Greek source word means to lift or carry. en.wiktionary.org