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to bat

to bat

62 1.3
To hit or try to hit a ball in a game
  • verb
  • /bæt/
: batear
  • As TJ viewed her videotape, she observed a student attempting to bat a ball off a tee.
  • bat a ball
  • bat left
  • bat right

It is a lot easier to predict how people are going to bat than how a game is going to come out.

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Examples

  • In contrast, experience shows that many players can learn to bat effectively from the opposite side.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Right-handed players can learn to bat left but not to throw left.

    Academic text (1998)
  • If they go up to bat again... We could lose this damn thing.

  • I assume that it's my turn to bat.

  • It's not that you're going to bat perfectly.

  • It is a lot easier to predict how people are going to bat than how a game is going to come out.

  • It would be easier for us if he was batting for the team.

  • First to bat, Richie Goodman.

  • Ladies and gentlemen... we resume play with the Giants batting in the bottom of the eighth.

  • The coach asked him to bat first in the upcoming game because he has the best swing.

Synonyms

to hit the ball
vsto bat
42 1.0

To strike a ball with a bat or racket in a sport

is specific to using a single long handled implement rather than any tool
to drive
vsto bat
39 3.5

To hit a ball hard to make it go far

often means striking without emphasis on force not always powerfully

Idioms

off the bat
  • Informal
58 6.5

Right away without waiting

1 7.7

Not show any surprise when something unexpected happens

Support the other side or be gay

1 5.1

Very quickly, in almost no time

8.3

Support both sides in an argument to avoid choosing one

To do something without being asked or helped

turn up to bat
  • Informal
7.7

A chance to speak or act after others have had theirs

Phrasal Verbs

to go to bat for
  • Informal
13 5.4

Support someone who is in trouble

8.1

To talk in a relaxed, friendly way

6.9

To move your eyelashes quickly in a playful way to get what you want

Compounds

80 1.0

A long wooden or metal stick used to hit the ball in baseball

at-bat
  • Jargon
45 5.7

A player's turn to try to hit the ball and get to a base in baseball

13 7.6

A Jewish ceremony for a girl at about 12 that marks becoming an adult in the faith

vampire bat
  • Specialized
7 5.1

A small flying mammal from Central and South America that drinks blood from animals

6 3.7

A large flying animal that lives in warm places and eats mostly fruit at night

bat boy
  • US
4 5.2

A boy who takes care of bats and other equipment for a baseball team

4 4.9

A large light that shows a bat shape in the sky to call Batman for help

2 4.8

A small bat that eats insects and lives in caves, trees and buildings worldwide

1 2.2

A flat piece of wood that players use to hit the ball in the game of cricket

1 8.6

A small dull yellow-brown flying animal with large ears that lives in caves

A small bat that flies fast, eats insects, and has a tail sticking out past the skin between its wings

A bat with a leaflike flap of skin on its nose that helps it find food at night

big brown bat
  • Specialized
1 7.1

A large brown bat in North America that eats insects at night

1 8.8

A small bat with fur that has white tips

red bat
  • US
1 7.2

A small North American bat with red fur that helps it hide in leaves

1 6.0

A small brown flying animal common in North America that sleeps in houses and forests

A bat with a horseshoe-shaped skin fold on its nose

A bat with very long ears that finds insects by sound

big-eared bat
  • Specialized
1 8.0

A large bat with very large ears that listens for insect sounds

1 9.9

A common bat with short soft fur found in the southern United States that flies south in winter

A small bat with short soft fur that migrates south in winter in the southern United States and Central America

A bat that eats insects and finds them by using sound

A bat that eats insects instead of drinking blood

freetailed bat
  • Specialized
1 8.8

A small fast bat that eats insects and has a long tail that sticks out past its wing skin

A bat with ears that look like a mouse's

1 8.7

A bat with large ears and pale yellow fur that lives in western North America caves

western big-eared bat
  • Specialized
1 8.4

A bat with very large ears that lives in western North America

A tree with grey leaves whose wood is used to make cricket bats

A small brown animal with fur that flies at night in Europe and eats insects

leafnose bat
  • Specialized
8.9

A bat with a leaf-shaped flap at the end of its nose

A bat with soft brown fur, folded ears, and small wings that sometimes runs on the ground

A small bat from tropical America that feeds on the blood of birds

harpy bat
  • Australian
9.9

A fruit-eating bat with tube-shaped nostrils that point outward

9.9

A small bat from Mexico with a long thin nose and small ears

9.9

A large night-flying animal with spotted fur and very large ears

nail bat
  • NSFW
9.8

A wooden club with sharp metal pieces used to hurt or scare people

orange bat
  • Australian
8.0

A bat with bright orange or yellow fur from northwest Australia

6.8

A small bat with orange fur that lives in forests in northwest Australia

9.9

A small brown bat that lives in California and northern Mexico

A small brown bat from California and northern Mexico with pockets near its tail

A small flat paddle with a short handle used to hit the ball in table tennis

tube-nosed bat
  • Australian
9.8

A fruit bat with nostrils that stick out like small tubes

9.5

A bat that eats fruit and has tube-shaped nostrils that point away from each other

true vampire bat
  • Specialized
9.2

A bat from tropical America that drinks the blood of animals like cows and birds

9.9

A bat with a pointed nose found in the Americas from the southern United States to Paraguay

9.3

A large flying animal with dark fur, white spots, and very large ears from the southwestern United States

vespertilian bat
  • Specialized
9.9

A bat that eats insects and uses sound to find them at dusk

How Hard

to smash
278 2.1
to smack
183 3.5
to strike
508 2.4
to bat
62 1.3
to hit
∞ 1.0
to tap
98 1.0

Surface Forms

bat infinitive
batted past
batted past participle
batting present participle
bats third person singular

Etymology

Bat (verb, to hit) comes from using a bat (the club) to strike the ball, so to 'bat' is simply to hit or try to hit the ball with the club.