WordGarden.iobatter
C1Pronunciation
UK
- /bˈætə/
US
- /ˈbætər/
Meanings
Noun
a thick mixture of flour, eggs, milk, or similar ingredients used in cooking
the player whose turn it is to hit the ball in baseball or softball
Verb
to hit someone or something repeatedly and hard
Beyond the definition
Batter can mean a few different things, mainly in three common ways. Most of the time, it is the liquid, pourable mix of flour, eggs, and liquid used for pancakes, cakes, and fried foods. Think of a bowl of pancake batter—that's the food sense. In sports, a batter is also the player in baseball or cricket who tries to hit a pitched or bowled ball with a bat. And as a verb, it means to strike repeatedly, as in "The waves battered the shore." Context decides which meaning you mean.
Imagine a baker whisking ingredients in a bowl—that's batter being prepared. Then picture a player stepping into the batter's box or crease, waiting to swing—that's the sports sense. Finally, if a storm rolls in and pounds the coastline for hours, you can say the waves are battering it.
The word "batter" is surprisingly versatile. Its most familiar meaning is a thin, pourable mixture of flour, eggs, and a liquid (water or milk) used for making pancakes, cakes, or fried foods. Unlike dough, which is thicker and needs kneading, batter stays runny enough to pour or drizzle. Think of pancake batter, cake batter, or the crisp coating on fried fish. This food meaning comes from the older sense of "to beat" or "to pound," referring to the vigorous mixing of ingredients.
The sports meaning is also common: in baseball or cricket, the batter is the person who faces a delivery or pitch and tries to strike the ball with a bat. In that role, they are central to the offensive play because each successful hit can move play forward and score runs.
As a verb, "batter" means to strike, hit, or pound repeatedly and forcefully. "The relentless rain battered the windows" or "The surf battered the cliff" both suggest repeated, often damaging impact. You may also hear battered and bruised to describe someone or something worn down by repeated blows or hardship.
So, whether you’re whisking up a batch of baked goods, following your favorite bat-and-ball match, or describing rough weather, "batter" can refer to food, a sports role, or an act of repeated forceful impact—showing how one short word carries several strong meanings!
Examples
- 1
Pancakes
Stir the batter gently so the pancakes stay light.
- 2
Fried food
The chicken is coated in batter before it goes into the hot oil.
- 3
Storm damage
The storm battered the coast for two days.
- 4
Emotional damage
His confidence was battered by months of criticism.
- Patternbattered by + repeated/intense pressure
badly affected by it
More examplesFewer examples
- 5
Physical condition
By morning, the little boat looked battered and worn.
- 6
Baseball
The batter hit a line drive to left field.
- Domainin baseball, the batter
the player who tries to hit the ball
See also
Forms and spellings
4 forms open this card.
Main spelling
- batternounverb
Forms
- batteredpast tenseverbnoun
- batterspluralnounverb
- battering-ing formverbnoun