bat (batsman, batter: AmE or BrE)

[Grayarea]

Hi,

Is this meaning used/common in American English?

merriam-webster:

bat n.
4 a: batsman, batter <a right-handed bat>

[Barb_D]

No.
The batter is at bat.
He's got a strong bat.

You might say "they acquired two strong bats in the off-season" to mean that they got two new players who were good at batting, but I don't find that very common usage.

[emsr2d2]

I know you asked about American English but for info, I think the language used in cricket is different to that used in baseball, despite their similarities as sports. In cricket, we don't call someone a "batter", it's always "batsman".

[JMurray]

I know you asked about American English but for info, I think the language used in cricket is different to that used in baseball, despite their similarities as sports. In cricket, we don't call someone a "batter", it's always "batsman".

"Batsman" remains the most common term, especially in writing and TV/radio commentary on the traditionally preeminent forms of the game, international test matches, state and county competitions etc, but "batter" is now frequently heard in conversation and interviews and occasionally seen in newspaper and online reports. Probably more often in relation to shortened forms of the game like one-day internationals, T20 etc, but it's by no means confined to them.
Aust. captain Michael Clarke: ''I see overs from a lot of the batters as important as the overs you get out of your frontline quicks".
England off-spinner Graeme Swann: "I think most of our problems were mental. Maybe we didn't adapt – and not just the batters, the whole team".

With the increasing profile of international women's cricket, "batter" has almost taken over in that context from the surprisingly resilient "batsman", which is nevertheless still quite common.
Wikipedia: "The most notable is probably Nadine George, a wicket-keeper/batsman, who became the first, and to date only, West Indian woman to score a Test century, in Karachi, Pakistan in 2003–04".
But this, from The Guardian (2009), is more the norm: "Claire Taylor, by showing herself to be a pugnacious batter with a fine cricket brain, has served as an excellent advert for women's cricket".

not a teacher

[emsr2d2]

Fair enough. To be honest, I can't stand cricket and would never watch it so I guess I should have pointed out that I don't actually listen to cricket commentary.

To me, batter is the stuff you use to make pancakes!

[Raymott]

Has the assumption that the OP was talking about cricket slipped in somewhere?
"Batsman" is the term for cricket, but perhaps there are other sports where the players use bats, and are called 'bats' or 'batters' or 'bat-wielders'?

[emsr2d2]

Has the assumption that the OP was talking about cricket slipped in somewhere?
"Batsman" is the term for cricket, but perhaps there are other sports where the players use bats, and are called 'bats' or 'batters' or 'bat-wielders'?

I was the first person to mention cricket as I only know of cricket, rounders and stoolball as sports using a bat - a bat of the same style as is used in baseball, at least. In all three (or so I thought until I found out about cricket), the person batting is known as the batsman.

[BobSmith]

Hi,

Is this meaning used/common in American English?

merriam-webster:

bat n.
4 a: batsman, batter <a right-handed bat>

In AmE baseball, when used correctly, people will understand perfectly what this means, but as Barb has pointed it, it's not very common. There's also "slugger", "hitter", and I suppose "bunter".

Batsman is a new term to me, and is never used in baseball.

[rajaouii]

thank you :D

[JMurray]

Has the assumption that the OP was talking about cricket slipped in somewhere?
"Batsman" is the term for cricket, but perhaps there are other sports where the players use bats, and are called 'bats' or 'batters' or 'bat-wielders'?

I was expanding on emr2d2's post in way that I thought might be helpful/interesting to someone. Personally I favour the traditional "batsman" for cricket.
Softball also has "batters".
..."bat-wielders" makes me think of Ozzy Osbourne.