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Glite Dictionary
bat boy

bat boy

3 5.2
A boy who takes care of bats and other equipment for a baseball team
  • noun
  • /bæt bɔɪ/
  • US
translation icon : chico de bate
  • The bat boy quickly delivered the players' equipment during the game.
  • year-old bat boy
  • an old bat boy

Examples

  • He always dreamed of being the bat boy for his favorite baseball team.

  • And if they did, they would not select me to even be the bat boy.

    Blog text (16)

  • I was also bat boy for the Yankees.

    Take the Money and Run (1969)

  • - It looks like Matsui is being told something by the bat boy.

    Henry & Me (2014)

  • The players aren't wearing them anymore, but the bat boys are.

    Blog text (5)

  • His father coerces Reginald into being the bat boy for his team, even though Reginald would much rather practice the violin.

    Academic text (2002)

  • Last summer, I got to work as a bat boy for the local high school team.

Synonyms

batboy
vsbat boy
  • US
2 3.5

A boy who helps a baseball team by collecting and caring for bats and equipment

is a young male employed specifically to care for bats and other team equipment

Surface Forms

bat boy singular
bat boys plural

Morphology

bat + boy

The meaning is directly compositional: a noun-noun compound where the first noun ('bat') modifies the second ('boy'), indicating a boy associated with or responsible for bats. This follows a common English pattern (and parallels in other languages), so a B1 learner who knows 'bat' (baseball bat) and 'boy' can infer the occupational role.

Etymology

Bat boy comes from baseball: it joins bat and boy, and brings to mind a young worker who stood near the players to hand them bats and look after their equipment. So, it means 'a boy who takes care of bats and other equipment for a baseball team'.