HOW TO PRONOUNCE
baton
/bəˈtɑn/
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American Pronunciation Guide · 0:47
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What does baton mean?
noun
- A staff or truncheon, used for various purposes.
- A ceremonial staff of a field marshal or a similar high-ranking military office.
- The stick of a conductor in musical performances.
More meanings (8)
noun
- An object transferred by runners in a relay race.
- A rod twirled in a marching band's performance, in a gymnastic sport, or in juggling.
- A short stout club used primarily by policemen.
- A bend with the ends cut off, resembling a baton, typically borne sinister, and often used as a mark of cadency, initially for both legitimate and illegitimate children, but later chiefly for illegitimate children.
- A short vertical lightweight post, not set into the ground, used to separate wires in a fence.
- A batonnet, a long slice of a vegetable, thicker than a julienne.
- A short baguette.
verb
- (figuratively) To strike with a baton.
Definitions regrouped for readability · CC BY-SA 4.0
IPA pronunciation
/bəˈtɑn/
Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 ↗Pronunciation varies by speaker and region. About these dictionary pronunciations.
In the pages of books
See this word in context.
He carried a baton covered with yellow and white calico, with which he made furious passes and gestures.
They all stopped short at the same instant, just as a well-trained chorus obeys the baton of its conductor.
More book examples (3)
The tail is jerked, wagged, and flirted like a baton in the hands of an inexperienced leader of an orchestra.
It is Sam's business to give each picker a row of berries, and he carries a brass-headed cane as the baton of authority.
Then the baton is waved by the conductor, and the musicians imitate the sounds of their instruments, while also imitating the movements assigned them by the conductor.