batch

batch — noun

1. a set of people, goods, or computer jobs collected for one round of work or prod

1.nounB2
Definition

a set of people, goods, or computer jobs collected for one round of work or production

Example

The bakery cooled one batch of rolls beside the kitchen door.

a batch of + food item

A fresh batch of passports arrived at the office before noon.

collocation: fresh batch of

Common collocations
  • a batch of cookies
  • a batch of files
  • a fresh batch
  • the next batch
  • small batch
Synonyms
  • group

    broader and does not itself suggest one shared time or process

  • lot

    more informal and often less exact

  • run

    closer in factory or kitchen contexts and focuses on one making cycle

Antonyms
  • single item

    stresses one thing handled alone rather than as part of a set

Grammar Patterns

a batch of something

in batches

Usage Note

Often appears in the patterns a batch of and in batches. Common nouns around it include food, documents, goods, and computer tasks that are handled together.

Common Mistakes

We baked three batch of muffins.
We baked three batches of muffins.
use the plural batches after numbers larger than one.

2. a set of students who learn together in the same class, course, or year

2.nounC1
Definition

a set of students who learn together in the same class, course, or year

Example

Our batch meets Ms. Chen every Tuesday morning.

batch meaning a student class

Only half the batch passed the first science test.

Common collocations
  • our batch
  • the whole batch
  • this batch
  • second-year batch
Synonyms
  • class

    the most general word for students taught together

  • cohort

    more formal and often used in education or research

  • year group

    focuses on students in the same school year

Grammar Patterns

our batch

the whole batch

Usage Note

Usually refers to students sharing the same teaching schedule, year, or course. Distinguish from sense 1, which can describe any set of people, goods, or tasks.

batch — verb

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For noun sense 1, batch is useful when one shared time or process matters. Group is broader and can describe any collection of people or things, even when no work is being done. Lot is more informal and often just means a set or a large number, without pointing to production or organized handling. Run is closer in kitchens and factories because it highlights one cycle of making something, but it usually does not refer to people. You can bake a batch of cookies, send the next batch of files, or welcome a new batch of workers. If the link is one round of work, batch is the clearest choice.

batch ↗group ↗lot ↗run ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • in batches
  • next batch
  • new batch
  • whole batch

Prepositions

  • batch of

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

Batch first meant the amount of bread baked in one oven load. From that older baking sense, English widened it to mean any set of items or people handled together, and later also used it for groups of computer jobs processed in one run.