batter

verb

/ˈbætə(r)/

/ˈbætər/

[intransitive, transitive, often passive]

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they batter	/ˈbætə(r)/ /ˈbætər/
he / she / it batters	/ˈbætəz/ /ˈbætərz/
past simple battered	/ˈbætəd/ /ˈbætərd/
past participle battered	/ˈbætəd/ /ˈbætərd/
-ing form battering	/ˈbætərɪŋ/ /ˈbætərɪŋ/

Phrasal Verbs

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to hit somebody/something hard many times, especially in a way that causes serious damage
- batter at/on something She battered at the door with her fists.
- batter against something The waves battered against the ship.
- batter somebody He had been badly battered around the head and face.
- Her killer had battered her to death.
- batter something Severe winds have been battering the north coast.
Synonyms beat
beat
- batter
- pound
- lash
- hammer
These words all mean to hit somebody/something many times, especially hard.
- beat to hit somebody/something a lot of times, especially very hard:
  Someone was beating at the door.
  A young man was found beaten to death last night.
  At that time, children were often beaten for quite minor offences (= as a punishment).
- batter to hit somebody/something hard a lot of times, especially in way that causes serious injury or damage:
  He had been badly battered around the head and face.
  Severe winds have been battering the coast.
- pound to hit somebody/something hard a lot of times, especially in a way that makes a lot of noise:
  Heavy rain pounded on the roof.
- lash to hit somebody/something with a lot of force:
  The rain lashed at the window.
  The subject of lash is often rain, wind, hail, sea or waves.
- hammer to hit somebody/something hard a lot of times, in a way that is noisy or violent:
  He hammered the door with his fists.
pound or hammer?There is not much difference in meaning between these two, but to pound is sometimes a steadier action. To hammer can be more violent and it is often used figuratively.Patterns
- to beat/batter/pound/lash/hammer somebody/something with something
- to beat/batter/pound/lash/hammer against something
- to beat/batter/pound/hammer on something
- to beat/batter/hammer something down
- the rain/wind/sea beats/batters/pounds/lashes (at) something
Extra Examples
- She battered on the door.
- He started furiously battering the door with a piece of wood.
- An intruder attacked him and battered him to death.
- Heavy rains battered what remained of the crop.
Topics Crime and punishmentc2
Word Originverb Middle English: from Old French batre ‘to beat’ (from Latin battuere) + -er.noun senses 1 to 2 late Middle English: from Old French bateure ‘the action of beating’, from batre ‘to beat’.

batter

noun

/ˈbætə(r)/

/ˈbætər/

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[uncountable, countable] a mixture of eggs, milk and flour used in cooking to cover food such as fish or chicken before you fry it, or to make pancakes
- fish in batter
- scallops fried in batter
- I started mixing the batter for the pancakes.
Topics Cooking and eatingc1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- smooth
- thick
- crispy
- …
verb + batter
- mix
- stir
- pour
- …
See full entry
[uncountable, countable] (North American English) a mixture of eggs, milk, flour, etc. used for making cakes
- Pour the batter into a prepared pan.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- smooth
- thick
- crispy
- …
verb + batter
- mix
- stir
- pour
- …
See full entry
enlarge image
[countable] (North American English) (in baseball) the player who is hitting the ball
Extra Examples
- Rivera faced seven batters and retired six.
- I heard the fans groan as the batter hit a grand slam.
- The first batter struck out.
- Jimmy struck out the first batter with ease.
- He has walked just eight batters all year.
- Opposing batters are fooled by Madsen's delivery.
Topics Sports: ball and racket sportsc1
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
adjective
- left-handed
- right-handed
- first
- …
verb + batter
- face somebody
- retire somebody
- strike somebody out
- …
batter + verb
- step in
- step into the box
- swing
- …
See full entry

Word Originverb Middle English: from Old French batre ‘to beat’ (from Latin battuere) + -er.noun senses 1 to 2 late Middle English: from Old French bateure ‘the action of beating’, from batre ‘to beat’.