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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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  1. 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 beatbeatbatter ▪ 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’.
See batter in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary
Check pronunciation: batter

Nearby words

trait
noun
 
 
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