French Conversation · Level 31
89 words
French word
battre
Pronunciation
IPA/batʁ/
Meaning
- verbbeat
Example
Ils battent l'équipe adverse.
They beat the opposing team.
More examples
Il a battu son adversaire hier.
He defeated his opponent yesterday.
Core concept
A stronger side drives an opponent out of a contest and leaves it clearly defeated.
Common phrases
battre quelqu'un
defeat someone
battre l'équipe adverse
defeat the opposing team
battre la concurrence
defeat the competition
Similar words
gagner: To emerge victorious in a match or contest.
remporter: To secure victory or a prize in a match or tournament.
dominer: To overwhelm an opponent and gain the upper hand through strength or skill.
Definition in French
Faire perdre à quelqu'un dans un affrontement, souvent avec l'idée d'une nette supériorité.
Word origin
French battre comes from Latin battuere, "to beat", whose repeated-striking sense developed into the sense of defeating an opponent.
Usage tips
- In the present tense, ils battent has a silent final -ent, while je bats and il bat end in silent consonants.