Definition of batter verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

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.
- batter something Severe winds have been battering the north coast.
- The victim had been battered to death.
Synonyms beat
beatbatter ▪ pound ▪ lash ▪ hammerThese 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.
- 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’.

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Phrasal verbs

batter something down

Nearby words

aspiration

noun

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