3 PHRASE People say that they are going to the bathroom when they want to say that they are going to use the toilet. [POLITENESS ]
ba th tow|el (bath towels ) N‑COUNT A bath towel is a very large towel used for drying your body after you have had a bath.
bath|tub /bɑː θtʌb, bæ θ-/ (bathtubs ) N‑COUNT A bathtub is a long, usually rectangular container which you fill with water and sit in to wash your body. [AM ] in BRIT, use bath
ba th wa|ter also bathwater N‑UNCOUNT Your bath water is the water in which you sit or lie when you have a bath.
ba|tik /bətiː k, bæ t I k/ (batiks )
1 N‑UNCOUNT Batik is a process for printing designs on cloth. Wax is put on those areas of the cloth that you do not want to be coloured by dye. □ …batik bedspreads.
2 N‑VAR A batik is a cloth which has been printed with a batik design. □ …batik from Bali.
bat|man /bæ tmæn/ (batmen ) N‑COUNT [usu sing, oft poss N ] In the British armed forces, an officer's batman is his personal servant.
ba|ton /bæ tɒn, [AM ] bətɑː n/ (batons )
1 N‑COUNT A baton is a short heavy stick which is sometimes used as a weapon by the police. [BRIT ] in AM, use billy , billy club 2 N‑COUNT A baton is a light, thin stick used by a conductor to conduct an orchestra or a choir.
3 N‑COUNT In athletics or track events, a baton is a short stick that is passed from one runner to another in a relay race.
4 N‑COUNT A baton is a long stick with a knob on one end that is sometimes carried by a person marching in a parade. The baton is spun round, thrown into the air and caught.
5 PHRASE If someone passes the baton to another person, they pass responsibility for something to that person. If someone picks up the baton , they take over responsibility for something. □ Does this mean that the baton of leadership is going to be passed to other nations?
ba |ton charge (baton charges , baton charging , baton charged ) also baton-charge N‑COUNT A baton charge is an attacking forward movement made by a large group of police officers carrying batons. [BRIT ] ● VERB Baton-charge is also a verb. [JOURNALISM ] □ [V n] Police in riot gear baton-charged the crowd.
bats|man /bæ tsmən/ (batsmen ) N‑COUNT The batsman in a game of cricket is the player who is batting. □ The batsman rose on his toes and played the rising ball down into the ground. □ He was the greatest batsman of his generation.
bat|tal|ion /bətæ ljən/ (battalions )
1 N‑COUNT A battalion is a large group of soldiers that consists of three or more companies. □ Anthony was ordered to return to his battalion. □ He joined the second battalion of the Grenadier Guards.
2 N‑COUNT A battalion of people is a large group of them, especially a well-organized, efficient group that has a particular task to do. □ [+ of ] There were battalions of highly paid publicists to see that such news didn't make the press.
bat|ten /bæ t ə n/ (battens , battening , battened )
1 N‑COUNT A batten is a long strip of wood that is fixed to something to strengthen it or to hold it firm. □ …a batten to support the base timbers.
2 VERB [usu passive] If something is battened in place, it is made secure by having battens fixed across it or being closed firmly. □ [be V -ed adv/prep] The roof was never securely battened down.
3 to batten down the hatches → see hatch
bat|ter /bæ tə r / (batters , battering , battered )
1 VERB If someone is battered , they are regularly hit and badly hurt by a member of their family or by their partner. □ [be V -ed] …evidence that the child was being battered. □ [V n] …boys who witness fathers battering their mothers. □ [V -ed] …battered husbands. ● bat|ter|ing N‑UNCOUNT □ Leaving the relationship does not mean that the battering will stop.
2 VERB To batter someone means to hit them many times, using fists or a heavy object. □ [V n prep/adv] He battered her around the head. □ [be V -ed] He was battered unconscious. [Also V n] ● bat|tered ADJ □ Her battered body was discovered in a field.
3 VERB [usu passive] If a place is battered by wind, rain, or storms, it is seriously damaged or affected by very bad weather. □ [be V -ed] The country has been battered by winds of between fifty and seventy miles an hour. □ [V n] …a storm that's been battering the Northeast coastline.
4 VERB If you batter something, you hit it many times, using your fists or a heavy object. □ [V n] They were battering the door, they were breaking in. □ [V n adj] Batter the steaks flat.
5 N‑VAR Batter is a mixture of flour, eggs, and milk that is used in cooking. □ …pancake batter. □ …fish in batter.
6 N‑COUNT In sports such as baseball and softball, a batter is a person who hits the ball with a wooden bat. □ …batters and pitchers.
7 → see also battered , battering
bat|tered /bæ tə r d/ ADJ Something that is battered is old and in poor condition because it has been used a lot. □ He drove up in a battered old car. □ …a battered leather suitcase.
bat|ter|ing /bæ tər I ŋ/ (batterings ) N‑COUNT If something takes a battering , it suffers very badly as a result of a particular event or action. □ Sterling took a battering yesterday as worries grew about the state of Britain's economy.