1 A2 neutral
In baseball, a traditional call from the umpire or announcer signalling the next batter to take their position at home plate.
"The umpire shouted 'Batter up!' and the crowd fell silent."
batter up
B1 neutral intransitive
A baseball call announcing that the next batter should come to the plate; broadly, a call to get ready for action.
In plain English
Come up and take your turn! (Said in baseball to call the next hitter.)
What does "batter up" mean?
2 meanings, ordered from most common to least. Color-coded by CEFR level.
2 B1 idiomatic informal
Informally, to signal that it is someone's turn or that they should step forward and take action. (Figurative, humorous)
"She looked at me and said, 'Batter up — it's your turn to present to the board.'"
Literal vs figurative
Words literally mean
A batter (hitter) should come up (to the plate) — entirely transparent in baseball context.
Actually means
Come up and take your turn! (Said in baseball to call the next hitter.)
Usage tip
Primarily used as a fixed exclamation by umpires or announcers in baseball to signal the next batter. Outside of baseball, it is sometimes used humorously or metaphorically to mean 'your turn' or 'get ready.'
Words that pair with "batter up"
Natural word combinations native speakers use most often.
baseball plate umpire hitter turn game
How to conjugate "batter up"
The five tense forms you'll use most often.
Base
batter up
I/you/we/they
3rd person
batters up
he/she/it
Past simple
battered up
yesterday
Past participle
battered up
have + pp
-ing form
battering up
continuous
Hear "batter up" in the wild
Listen to native speakers using "batter up" in real YouTube videos — click a clip to watch it on Looplines.
Keep exploring
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