ENGLISH
REFERENCE

batter

n. · v.
US //ˈbætɝ// UK //bˈætɐ// bat·ter
  1. 1 cooking mixture (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Cooking

    a liquid mixture of flour, eggs, and milk used to make pancakes or to coat food before frying.

    a semi-liquid mixture of flour and liquid, such as milk or water, used in baking or as a coating for fried foods.

    Example

    He whisked the pancake batter until it was smooth and without lumps.

    Example

    The chef dipped the fresh cod into a light beer batter before dropping it into the hot oil to achieve a crisp texture.
  2. 2 sports player (n.)
    B1 Intermediate Sport

    the person whose turn it is to hit the ball with a bat in games like baseball.

    the offensive player positioned to strike the ball delivered by the pitcher or bowler.

    Example

    The batter stepped up to the plate and waited for the first pitch.

    Example

    The lead-off batter managed to hit a double into deep left field, putting immediate pressure on the opposing team's defense.
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  1. 3 to hit repeatedly (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to hit something or someone very hard many times, often causing damage.

    to strike repeatedly with heavy blows; to subject to consistent physical or metaphorical assault.

    Example

    Strong winds and heavy rain continued to batter the coast all night.

    Example

    The heavy artillery began to batter the fortress walls, creating significant breaches that the infantry would later exploit.
  2. 4 wall slope (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Architecture

    the way a wall leans backward as it goes up.

    the receding slope of the face of a wall or structure as it rises.

    Example

    The castle walls were built with a slight batter to make them stronger.

    Example

    The engineer specified a significant batter for the retaining wall to ensure stability against the lateral pressure of the soil.
  3. 5 to be very drunk (v.)
    C1 Advanced British English Slang

    to be extremely affected by alcohol or drugs.

    to be heavily intoxicated; typically used in the passive voice.

    Example

    He looked completely battered after the party on Saturday night.

    Example

    By the time they reached the third pub, half the group was already battered and ready to head home.
Etymology 1

From Middle English batteren, batren, bateren, a frequentative of Middle English batten, baten (“to beat”), equivalent to bat + -er (frequentative suffix).

Etymology 2

From Middle English bature, from Old French bateure (“the action of beating”), from batre (“to beat”). Doublet of batture.

Etymology 3

Unknown.

Etymology 4

From bat + -er (agent noun suffix).

Idioms1 entry

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