battery

battery — noun

1. a small object, or a larger sealed unit, that stores chemical energy and release

1.nounA2
Definition

a small object, or a larger sealed unit, that stores chemical energy and releases it as electricity to power things like phones, torches, watches, or cars.

Example

Kenji changed the battery in the smoke alarm before going to bed.

the battery in [device]

My phone battery dies by lunchtime if I watch videos on the train.

phone battery dies — common informal collocation

Common collocations
  • dead battery
  • flat battery
  • rechargeable battery
  • battery life
  • low battery
  • charge a battery
Synonyms
  • cell

    more technical; one cell is a single unit, while a battery is often several cells together

  • power pack

    informal, refers to a portable charger or battery module

Grammar Patterns

a battery for [device]

run on batteries

Usage Note

Often used in the plural for small replaceable cells (AA, AAA) and in the singular for a single sealed unit (a car battery, a phone battery). Common verbs: charge, replace, change, run out, die.

Common Mistakes

My phone has no battery left, I need to load it.
My phone has no battery left, I need to charge it.
in English you charge a battery, you don't 'load' it.

2. a fairly large set of related machines, tools, tests, or questions that are used

2.nounB2
Definition

a fairly large set of related machines, tools, tests, or questions that are used or carried out together as one organised collection.

Example

The doctors ran a battery of blood tests before they could give Rashida a clear diagnosis.

a battery of tests — frequent collocation

Reporters fired a battery of questions at the mayor as she left the courthouse.

a battery of questions

Common collocations
  • a battery of tests
  • a battery of questions
  • a battery of lawyers
  • a battery of cameras
Synonyms
  • array

    interchangeable in most cases; slightly more visual or impressive in feel

  • series

    stresses sequence rather than the impressive size of the collection

  • set

    neutral and general; lacks the 'large and organised' nuance of 'battery'

Grammar Patterns

a battery of [plural noun]

Usage Note

Almost always appears in the pattern 'a battery of + plural noun'. Object is normally something formal, organised, or impressive in number — tests, questions, lights, machines, lawyers — not just any random group.

Common Mistakes

There was a battery of three friends waiting outside.
There was a group of three friends waiting outside.
'battery of' suggests a large, organised set, not a small casual group.

3. a set of heavy guns, missile launchers, or similar weapons positioned and fired

3.nounC1
Definition

a set of heavy guns, missile launchers, or similar weapons positioned and fired together as a single unit, or the army group that operates them.

Example

The coastal battery opened fire on enemy ships as soon as they entered the harbour.

coastal / shore battery

Captain Reyes commanded an anti-aircraft battery stationed on the hillside above the airfield.

anti-aircraft battery

Common collocations
  • artillery battery
  • anti-aircraft battery
  • missile battery
  • coastal battery
Synonyms
  • artillery unit

    more general military term for a group that operates heavy guns

  • emplacement

    focuses on the prepared position rather than the guns or the soldiers

Grammar Patterns

an artillery battery

a battery of [guns]

Usage Note

Refers to both the weapons themselves and the unit of soldiers operating them — context decides which is meant. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense is specifically military, while sense 2 covers any large organised set.

4. in law, the offence of touching or hitting another person on purpose without the

4.nounC1
Definition

in law, the offence of touching or hitting another person on purpose without their agreement, whether or not the person ends up hurt; often charged together with assault.

Example

Mr. Hayes was charged with assault and battery after the fight outside the bar.

assault and battery — fixed legal phrase

The judge sentenced the defendant to two years in prison for battery against an elderly neighbour.

battery against [victim]

Common collocations
  • assault and battery
  • charged with battery
  • battery charge
  • convicted of battery
Synonyms
  • assault

    in everyday English they overlap, but legally assault is often the threat and battery is the actual contact

  • physical attack

    everyday equivalent; not used in courtroom language

Grammar Patterns

assault and battery

charged with battery

Usage Note

A legal term, almost always in formal or news writing. Distinguish from 'assault': in many systems assault is the threat or attempt, while battery is the actual physical contact. Often combined as 'assault and battery'.

Common Mistakes

He committed a battery on the security guard.
He committed battery against the security guard.
battery in this legal sense is uncountable; don't say 'a battery'.

5. in baseball, the pitcher and the catcher considered together as one working pair

5.nounC2
Definition

in baseball, the pitcher and the catcher considered together as one working pair, since they have to plan and signal every pitch as a team.

Example

The Tigers' battery of Hernandez and Park has shut out three teams this month.

the battery of [pitcher] and [catcher]

Coach Diaz said the young battery worked well together despite their age difference.

the battery (pitcher + catcher) as a unit

Common collocations
  • the starting battery
  • the Tigers' battery
  • a young battery
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

the battery

Usage Note

Specialist baseball term; outside sports writing or commentary, learners are unlikely to meet or need it. Always treated as a single unit even though it refers to two players.

Idioms

recharge your batteries

idiom

to rest and do relaxing things for a while so that you feel energetic and ready to work hard again.

After six months on the project, Daniel took two weeks in Okinawa to recharge his batteries.

A quiet weekend with the kids was just what Mei needed to recharge her batteries before the new term.

battery — adjective

Word family

  • batter
    verbB2
  • battered
    adjectiveB2
  • battering
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/2

All four words describe a group of related items, but they differ in size, formality, and feel. 'Battery' is the most formal and suggests a large, deliberately organised collection — typically of tests, questions, weapons, or instruments — and is almost always followed by 'of'. 'Array' is similar in size but more visual: it pictures items spread out impressively, like an array of solar panels or food on a buffet. 'Series' stresses sequence rather than impressive number; the items follow one after another, as in a series of meetings. 'Set' is the most neutral and everyday word, just meaning a group that belongs together. Compare: 'a battery of medical tests' (formal, planned, many), 'an array of cameras' (impressive display), 'a series of tests' (one after another), 'a set of tests' (just a group).

battery ↗array ↗series ↗set ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • battery life
  • battery pack
  • battery charger
  • battery power
  • battery acid
  • battery farm

Phrases

  • a flat battery
  • a dead battery
  • a rechargeable battery
  • to charge a battery
  • to replace the battery
  • running on battery

Prepositions

  • a battery of
  • battery for
  • on battery
  • battery in

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishModern English

'Battery' came into English in the 1500s from Old French 'batterie', meaning 'a beating' or 'a bombardment', from the verb 'battre' ('to beat'), which goes back to Latin 'battuere'. The original sense was the physical act of striking, which still survives in the legal term 'battery'. From there, it was extended to a unit of guns that 'beat' the enemy with their fire, then to any organised group of similar things working together. Benjamin Franklin in the 1740s borrowed the word for his linked set of electrical jars, and the modern 'battery' that powers our phones and cars grew out of that scientific use.