bat

noun

1. Any flying mammal of the order Chiroptera, usually small and nocturnal, insectivorous or frugivorous.

   “The Bat—they called him the Bat. Like a bat he chose the night hours for his work of rapine; like a bat he struck and vanished, pouncingly, noiselessly; like a bat he never showed himself to the face of the day.”

   “As well as being worth millions of dollars to the Texan agriculture industry, these mammals are worth millions of dollars to the state’s tourism industry. Texas is home to the world’s largest known bat colony (in Comal County), and the world’s largest urban bat colony (in Austin). Bat watching is a common activity, with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department offering more bat-viewing sites than anywhere else in the US.”

2. (derogatory)An old woman.

   “"Isn't it lovely?" I smiled and thought: "Yes it is. It's also a Blackbird, you silly old bat!”

3. A club, made of wood like a baseball bat or otherwise, used as a weapon
4. A club made of wood or aluminium used for striking the ball in sports such as baseball, softball and cricket.
5. A turn at hitting the ball with a bat in a game.

   “You've been in for ages. Can I have a bat now?”

6. A player rated according to skill in batting.

   “He's a good fielder and a valuable bat.”

7. The piece of wood on which the spinner places the coins and then uses for throwing them.
8. Shale or bituminous shale.

   “bituminous shale ; which miners , if I mistake not , call bat”

9. A sheet of cotton used for filling quilts or comfortables; batting.
10. A part of a brick with one whole end.
11. A stroke; a sharp blow.
12. (Scotland, UK, dialectal)A stroke of work.
13. (informal)Rate of motion; speed.

    “On starting, The Nun led at a very slow pace for a quarter of a mile, when the Shrigley colt made running at a good bat.”

    “a vast host of fowl […] making at full bat for the North Sea.”

14. (US, dated, slang)A spree; a jollification; a binge, jag.
15. (Scotland, UK, dialectal)Manner; rate; condition; state of health.
16. (Kent)A rough walking stick.

    “So ſlides he dovvne vppon his greyned bat; / And comely diſtant ſits he by her ſide, […]”

17. (obsolete)A packsaddle.
18. (alt-of, dated)Dated form of baht (“Thai currency”).
19. (Caribbean, Multicultural-London-English, abbreviation, alt-of, clipping)Clipping of batty (“buttocks or anus”).
20. (UK, dialectal, obsolete)A child's shoe without a welt.

    “The retailer who sells a little girl a pretty pair of shoes today instead of a pair of bats, is bound to sell that girl, when she grows up, a pair of stylish $3 or $4 shoes instead of her buying a pair of $1.98 bargain bats elsewhere.”

21. (UK, obsolete, slang)A boot that is badly made or in poor condition.
22. (abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, slang)Clipping of battery.

    “All these things must sell... […] * Motorola Cell phone bat/case/no contract”

    “[T]he razor was allways^([sic]) planed^([sic]) to be a thinner PalmIII with Li-Ion bat and a better LCD (i.e. less glare and more contrast)... […] You can replace it in the same way than^([sic]) the Cell Phone bat's...very easy !!!”

    “where is cheapest place to buy laptop batt?”

    “1 toshiba^([sic]) t2450ct laptop bat does not work but fine on power supply.”

    “I am looking for dead battery packs for the IBM 700 series.”

23. (abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable)Initialism of best available technology: a principle applying to regulations on limiting pollutant discharges.
24. (abbreviation, alt-of, countable, initialism, uncountable)Initialism of brown adipose tissue.
25. (China, countable, uncountable)One or more of the Chinese technology companies Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent.

verb

1. (transitive)To hit with a bat or (figuratively) as if with a bat.

   “He batted the ball away with a satisfying thwack.”

   “We batted a few ideas around.”

2. (intransitive)To take a turn at hitting a ball with a bat in sports like cricket, baseball and softball, as opposed to fielding.
3. (intransitive)To strike or swipe as though with a bat.

   “The cat batted at the toy.”

4. (UK, dialectal, obsolete)To bate or flutter, as a hawk.
5. (transitive)To flutter

   “to bat one’s eyelashes”

6. (UK, US, dialectal)To wink.
7. (intransitive, usually)To flit quickly from place to place.

   “I’ve spent all week batting around the country.”

   “The "Star" is batting along at about a mile a minute, chattering away at the chimney and snatching small coal off the shovel.”

name

1. (abbreviation, alt-of)Abbreviation of Bathurst.