battered

adjective

bat·​tered ˈba-tərd 

1

: damaged or worn down by hard use

a battered old hat

a battered truck

2

: injured by repeated blows

the victim's battered body

a boxer's battered face

3

: subjected to repeated physical abuse

providing help for battered wives/children

… the store turned into an impromptu women's crisis center, where battered women and mothers trying to rescue their daughters from abusive dads gravitated.

—Donna Minkowitz

Examples of battered in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The Shannon Park community was quiet on May 21 as neighbor Bernie Kuebler drove by showing a coworker the battered house. —Catherine Muccigrosso, Charlotte Observer, 28 May 2024

The storm sheared the roof and walls off the building, mangling metal beams and leaving battered cars in the parking lot. —CBS News, 27 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing battered

• battered child syndrome
• battered woman syndrome