bat
bat
I
/ˈbæt/ noun , pl bats [ count ]
1 : a long rounded stick that is used to hit the ball in baseball
a baseball bat
2 : a long flattened stick that is used to hit the ball in cricket
3 Brit : paddle 2
a table tennis bat
at bat
baseball
1
— used to describe the player or team that is batting
He got a home run on his first time at bat.
It's the bottom of the first inning and the home team is at bat. [=is batting]
2 : the act of batting
She has two hits in three at bats.
go to bat
baseball : to be the player or team that is batting
The visiting team goes to bat first. [=the visiting team bats first]
go to bat for
US informal : to try to help, support, or defend (someone or something) in an active way
Many of his friends went to bat for him while he was under investigation for fraud.
off the bat
chiefly US informal : without any delay : immediately
— usually used with right
I could tell it was fake right off the bat. [=right away]
off your own bat
Brit informal : through your own efforts
He didn't need my help–he made good off his own bat.
— compare bat, 3
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II
verb , bats, bat·ted, bat·ting
1 a [ + obj ] : to hit (something, such as a ball) with a bat, club, etc., or with your hand
The ball was batted down.
a batted ball [=a ball that has been hit by a batter in baseball]
1 b [ no obj ] : to try to hit a ball with a bat in baseball, cricket, or a similar game
It's your turn to bat.
She was batting when it began to rain.
Who's batting? = Who's up to bat?
2 [ no obj ] baseball : to have a specified batting average
This year he's batting [=hitting] .300. [=his batting average is .300]
She has five hits in five at bats, so she's batting a thousand. [=her batting average is 1.000]
◇ In figurative use, to bat a thousand is to succeed in every attempt. This is an informal phrase that is used chiefly in U.S. English.
So far in her career, she's batting a thousand. [=she has succeeded in everything she has done in her career]
No one bats a thousand in this business.
bat around [ phrasal verb ]
bat (something) around or bat around (something) informal : to think about or talk about (something, such as an idea) for a period of time
The plan was batted around for a while, but it was finally rejected.
We've been batting the idea around for a few years.
bat in [ phrasal verb ]
bat in (a run) also bat (a run) in baseball : to hit the ball in a way that makes it possible for a run to score
He batted in 70 runs last year.
— compare bat, 4
batting adj , always used before a noun
batting practice
a batting coach
batting gloves/helmets
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III
noun , pl bats [ count ]
1 : an animal that has wings and a furry body like a mouse
2 informal : an unpleasant old woman
Don't take any notice of that old bat!
bats in the/your belfry — see belfry
(as) blind as a bat — see blind, 1
like a bat out of hell
informal : very quickly
He ran out of the house like a bat out of hell.
— compare bat, 1
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IV
verb , bats, batted, batting [ + obj ]
: to close and open (your eyes or eyelashes) very quickly several times especially as a way of flirting
She smiled and batted her eyelashes at him.
not bat an eye/eyelash (US) (
informal : to show no surprise, fear, concern, etc.
He thought the news would make her upset, but she never batted an eye. [=she did not appear to be upset at all]
He listened without batting an eyelash.
— compare bat, 2
