bat Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun nocturnal mouselike mammal with forelimbs modified to form membranous wings and anatomical adaptations for echolocation by which they navigate
    chiropteran.
  2. noun (baseball) a turn trying to get a hit
    at-bat.
    • he was at bat when it happened
    • he got four hits in four at-bats
  3. noun a small racket with a long handle used for playing squash
    squash racket; squash racquet.
  4. noun the club used in playing cricket
    cricket bat.
    • a cricket bat has a narrow handle and a broad flat end for hitting
  5. noun a club used for hitting a ball in various games
  6. verb strike with, or as if with a baseball bat
    • bat the ball
  7. verb wink briefly
    flutter.
    • bat one's eyelids
  8. verb have a turn at bat
    • Jones bats first, followed by Martinez
  9. verb use a bat
    • Who's batting?
  10. verb beat thoroughly and conclusively in a competition or fight
    lick; drub; clobber; thrash; cream.
    • We licked the other team on Sunday!

WordNet

Bat noun
Etymology
OE. batte, botte, AS. batt; perhaps fr. the Celtic; cf. Ir. bat, bata, stick, staff; but cf. also F. batte a beater (thing), wooden sword, battre to beat.
Definitions
  1. A large stick; a club; specifically, a piece of wood with one end thicker or broader than the other, used in playing baseball, cricket, etc.
  2. (Mining) Shale or bituminous shale. Kirwan.
  3. A sheet of cotton used for filling quilts or comfortables; batting.
  4. A part of a brick with one whole end. Knight.
Bat transitive verb
Wordforms
imperfect & past participle Batted (); present participle & verbal noun Batting
Definitions
  1. To strike or hit with a bat or a pole; to cudgel; to beat. Holland.
Bat intransitive verb
Definitions
  1. To use a bat, as in a game of baseball.
Bat noun
Etymology
Corrupt. from OE. back, backe, balke; cf. Dan. aften-bakke]/> (aften evening), Sw. natt-backa]/> (natt night), Icel. ler-blaka]/> (ler leather), Icel. blaka to flutter.
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) One of the Cheiroptera, an order of flying mammals, in which the wings are formed by a membrane stretched between the elongated fingers, legs, and tail. The common bats are small and insectivorous. See Cheiroptera and Vampire.

Webster 1913