What does batted mean?
"Batted" is the past tense and past participle of the verb "bat," meaning to strike a ball with a bat, particularly in games like baseball and cricket. Beyond the playing field, it carries lighter, more figurative senses: one can batted away an annoying fly, batted aside an unwelcome question, or batted one's eyelashes flirtatiously. The word conveys quickness and deftness of motion rather than raw force, which distinguishes it from verbs like "smashed" or "clobbered." Its usage spans informal conversation and sports commentary alike, appearing frequently in phrases such as "batted away" and "batted in a run." Because "batted" looks nearly identical to "bated" — the restrained cousin of "abate" that lives in "with bated breath" — the two are often confused in writing, making careful spelling worth attention. Rooted in the everyday vocabulary of sport and gesture, "batted" remains a compact, versatile verb whose meanings have stretched gracefully beyond its original athletic setting into everyday idiom.
verbPast tense and past participle of "bat": to hit a ball with a bat, especially in cricket or baseball; also, to strike something lightly or swiftly, as an animal might with its paw.
- To have hit a ball with a bat, as in cricket or baseball.
- To have struck or flicked something lightly or quickly, such as an insect swatted away.
- (Of eyes) To have fluttered or blinked rapidly, as in "she batted her eyelashes."
"She batted the ball deep into left field in the final inning."
"He batted cleanup for most of last season."
"She batted the fly away from her face without looking up."
The phrase "with bated breath" has nothing to do with baseball — it comes from "abate," not "bat," yet the two are among English's most commonly mixed-up words.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of batted
The word traces back to Middle English "bat," meaning a club or staff, first attested in medieval texts referring to a wooden implement used to strike things. The ultimate origin is uncertain; it may derive from Old Norse or Celtic roots related to beating or cudgels, though scholars cannot confirm this with certainty. The verb "to bat" developed naturally from the noun, and its use became firmly tied to ball games as those sports formalized in the early modern period. Extended figurative senses, such as batting away an objection or batting one's eyelashes, emerged later through everyday metaphorical extension of the physical striking motion.
Related word forms
How batted is actually used
"Batted" is the simple past and past participle of "bat" and appears almost exclusively in sports commentary, casual speech, and figurative expressions like "batted her eyelashes" or "batted away the suggestion." It is informal to neutral in register and common throughout British and American English, though the sporting sense differs by region: cricket in Britain and Commonwealth countries, baseball in North America.
Easily confused with batted
"Batted" is the past tense of "bat" (to hit), while "bated" means held back or restrained, as in the phrase "with bated breath."