baton

baton — noun

1. a slim, light wooden stick that the person leading an orchestra, band, or choir

1.nounB2
Definition

a slim, light wooden stick that the person leading an orchestra, band, or choir holds in one hand and waves through the air to set the speed and feeling of the music being played.

Example

Maestro Abreu raised his baton, and the violins began the slow opening melody.

subject is a conductor; verb 'raise' typical with baton

The young conductor held her baton lightly between her thumb and first finger.

collocation: hold + baton

Common collocations
  • raise the baton
  • wave the baton
  • tap the baton
  • a flick of the baton
Synonyms
  • stick

    general word; 'baton' is the specific term for orchestral conducting

Usage Note

Subject is usually a conductor or musical leader; common verbs are 'raise', 'lower', 'wave', and 'tap with'. Distinguish from sense 2: this baton stays in one person's hand throughout the performance.

Common Mistakes

The conductor played his baton.
The conductor waved his baton.
a baton is not played; it is waved or raised to direct.

2. a short tube or stick used in a running race for teams, where each member of the

2.nounB2
Definition

a short tube or stick used in a running race for teams, where each member of the team carries it for one section of the course and then hands it to the next teammate.

Example

Theo dropped the baton just before reaching her teammate, and Japan lost the lead.

verb 'drop' is the classic relay-race collocation

The American team practised passing the baton smoothly for hours every morning.

collocation: pass the baton

Common collocations
  • pass the baton
  • drop the baton
  • hand off the baton
  • grab the baton

Usage Note

Most often used with the verbs 'pass', 'hand', 'drop', and 'grab'. The phrase 'pass the baton' is also a common idiom (see idioms section) meaning to transfer responsibility to another person.

Common Mistakes

She gave the baton to the next runner.
She passed the baton to the next runner.
'pass' is the standard sports verb; 'give' sounds odd in relay-race contexts.

3. a long, hollow metal rod, often with weighted ends, that a marching-band leader

3.nounC1
Definition

a long, hollow metal rod, often with weighted ends, that a marching-band leader or majorette spins quickly between her fingers and tosses high into the air during a parade or show.

Example

The majorette spun her baton above her head as the marching band turned the corner.

collocation: spin / twirl + baton

Priya tossed her baton ten feet in the air and caught it without missing a step.

phrase: toss + baton in the air

Common collocations
  • twirl a baton
  • spin a baton
  • toss a baton

Usage Note

Object of 'twirl', 'spin', 'toss', or 'flourish'. Usually appears with parade, marching-band, or majorette contexts; out of those settings, sense 2 (relay) or sense 1 (conductor) is more likely.

4. a heavy wooden or rubber stick that a police officer carries on a belt and uses

4.nounB2
Definition

a heavy wooden or rubber stick that a police officer carries on a belt and uses to defend themselves or to hit and control people during a fight or protest.

Example

The officer pulled his baton from his belt and shouted at the crowd to step back.

collocation: pull / draw + baton

Riot police charged forward with shields raised and batons in their hands.

common in protest / riot reporting

Common collocations
  • police baton
  • swing a baton
  • draw a baton
  • be struck with a baton
Synonyms
  • truncheon

    British equivalent, slightly more formal

  • nightstick

    American, mainly for police

  • club

    general word for any heavy short stick used as a weapon

Usage Note

Often appears in news reports about protests, riots, or arrests. American English also uses 'nightstick' or 'club'; British English may use 'truncheon'. In modern policing, 'extendable baton' refers to a metal version that opens with a flick.

Common Mistakes

The officer shot the suspect with his baton.
The officer struck the suspect with his baton.
a baton is for hitting, not shooting.

5. a short, decorated rod that an officer or official holds during ceremonies as a

5.nounC1
Definition

a short, decorated rod that an officer or official holds during ceremonies as a public sign of the rank or authority that has been given to them.

Example

Field Marshal Chen received a gold baton from the queen at the palace ceremony.

ceremonial / military register

The general carried an ivory baton tipped with silver as a sign of his new rank.

Common collocations
  • ceremonial baton
  • field marshal's baton
  • gold baton
Synonyms
  • staff

    longer ceremonial rod, often religious or royal

  • mace

    ornamental staff carried by officials in parliaments and universities

Usage Note

Almost always paired with a modifier such as 'ceremonial', 'gold', 'ivory', or with a rank like 'field marshal's'. Distinct from sense 4 (which is a working weapon) — this baton is purely symbolic and is rarely, if ever, used to strike anyone.

baton — verb

Word family

  • batonist
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/4

All four words name a short, heavy stick used as a weapon, but each fits a different scene. 'Baton' is the most neutral, modern, and international word for the stick a police officer carries on duty; it is the standard term in news writing and works in both British and American English. 'Truncheon' sounds traditional and chiefly British, often suggesting an older wooden stick used by uniformed police. 'Nightstick' is American and is used almost only for police, especially patrol officers walking a beat at night. 'Club' is the broadest and oldest word: any heavy short stick that someone — not necessarily an officer — can swing as a weapon. So a journalist would write 'police baton', a British novelist might write 'truncheon', an American detective story might say 'nightstick', and a fight in a back alley might just involve a 'club'.

baton ↗truncheonnightstickclub ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • police baton
  • ceremonial baton
  • conductor's baton
  • relay baton
  • rubber baton

Phrases

Prepositions

  • with a baton
  • of the baton

Etymology

LatinLate LatinFrenchEnglish

Borrowed into English in the 1500s from French 'bâton', meaning 'stick' or 'staff', which itself came from Late Latin 'bastum', a walking stick or club. The word at first meant any kind of staff carried for support or for fighting, then narrowed over the centuries to its modern senses: the conductor's stick (from the late 1700s), the relay-race stick (from the early 1900s), and the police club. The ceremonial 'symbol-of-office' meaning is the oldest of the modern senses and reflects the stick's long history as a sign of military or royal authority.