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 Metrolink has opted to suspend some routes heading through Orange County this week due to an extended period of high tides that are expected to batter the Southern California coast. — Dean Fioresi, CBS News, 10 Aug. 2026 The rule of law may be battered and bruised, and even at times a bit hinky. — Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026 Rhodes was left bruised and battered that night but was still the champion. — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 2 Aug. 2026 The War Raiders cornered R-Truth and battered him in the corner. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 31 July 2026 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
  • Her entire face got licked clean off her head when suburban floodwaters breached the cardboard hull protecting Kath’s basement memorabilia stack a few months before I was born.
    — Claire Carusillo, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
  • There’s truly nothing like licking that paper lid, then shoveling that tiny tongue depressor into a child-sized serving of vanilla or chocolate ice cream.
    — Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of lick
Verb
  • The government has intensified firefighting efforts across Sumatra and Borneo islands, deploying more than 35 aircraft including water-bombing helicopters and patrol airplanes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • Nagasaki, bombed just three days later, receives only a fraction of that attention.
    — James M. Scott, Time, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of bomb
Verb
  • Even the region's major interstate highway, I-70, was partly shut down after a section of it buckled under the weight of pounding rain.
    — Emily Mae Czachor, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • The robust menu aims to satiate hungry tourists who’ve spent long hours pounding the black sampietrini cobblestones of the vast open-air museum that is the Eternal City.
    — Alexandra Kirkman, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026
Definition of pound
Verb
  • About a week later, Akwesasne Mohawk police provided US authorities shell casings stemming from an arrest on Indigenous land in Quebec where a suspect had fired their gun on July 22, 2024, according to the memo.
    — Mark Morales, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
  • Mansouri was subjected to Israeli shelling earlier this week, according to Lebanon’s state news agency.
    — Matthew Lee, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of shell
Verb
  • Powerful winds and lashing rain flipped over a truck in Zhejiang’s Wenzhou, a video posted on TikTok on Sunday showed.
    — Reuters, NBC news, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Earlier this month, Kennedy lashed out during an interview on CNN over vaccine and public health policies.
    — Daniel Payne, STAT, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of lash
Verb
  • Mangione’s lawyer Karen Friedman Agnifilo batted down the media reports of plea talks at the time.
    — David Goldman, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Siri, batting for Josh Lowe, tied it 2-all with his RBI double to left-center and stole third without a throw.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of bat
Verb
  • Then, when Gonzalez tried to exit in Exposition Park to avoid further confrontation, Pitts whipped out a knife, prosecutors said.
    — Clara Harter, Los Angeles Times, 7 Aug. 2026
  • In 2017, the object flew into our solar system, whipped around the sun like a comet, and flew back out.
    — Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of whip
Verb
  • Though males are wingless and females can fly short distances, that reproductive efficiency — combined with its tiny size and penchant for hiding in wood — has supercharged a rapid spread across South Africa.
    — Jack Bantock, CNN Money, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Bosch reminded the public to lock their vehicles and hide valuables, noting that thieves often scan for unlocked cars by looking for extended side mirrors.
    — Peter D'Oench, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026
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 15 Aug. 2026.

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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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