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Quick Answer
Batear means to turn somebody down in Mexican Spanish - an approach, or any request. It comes from baseball, which is why it lands closer to struck out than to rejected. It also covers dodging a question and being pushed out of a job.
- Batear means to turn somebody down - an approach, or any request at all.
- It is baseball: they pitched, you swung, it went away. The metaphor keeps it light.
- It also means answering a question evasively, and being removed from a job - lo batearon del puesto.
What it means
Turning something down. Most often an approach - somebody made a move and you sent it away - but the same verb covers a refused request of any kind, from a raise to an invitation.
The register is light. Because it is a sports word it carries no cruelty, which is why people use it about themselves without much embarrassment.
Literal meaning
To bat. The literal verb is ordinary Spanish and it is alive in every baseball-watching part of Mexico, which is most of the north.
The rejection sense is the same picture with a person in it: something came at you and you hit it away. Nothing is being destroyed, it just does not come back.
The forms of batear you'll hear
- me bateóthey turned me downThe commonest shape, and the one you tell friends.
- me batearonI got turned downSame thing without naming anybody.
- lo bateóthey turned him downThird person. A description of an evening rather than an accusation.
- lo batearon del puestothey pushed him out of the jobThe third sense, recorded as Mexican and nothing to do with dating.
- bateó la preguntahe dodged the questionNothing romantic. Common on the news.
How Mexicans use it
The commonest form is the report. Me bateó is what you say the next day, and the tone is closer to amused than wounded.
It works in the third person too. Bateó a todos en la fiesta is a description of somebody's evening, not an accusation.
The question sense is common in political coverage. Bateó la pregunta means the answer went somewhere else on purpose.
It goes well beyond dating. Le pedí aumento al jefe y me bateó is ordinary, and so is los invité y me batearon. It also means to be removed from a job - lo batearon del puesto.
Examples
- Me bateó bien feo.They turned me down flat.
- Le tiré la onda y me bateó.I made a move and got shot down.
- El gobernador bateó la pregunta.The governor dodged the question.
- Le pedí aumento al jefe y me bateó.I asked my boss for a raise and got turned down.
How batear looks in a group chat
- ¿y? ¿cómo te fue?so? how'd it go?
- me bateó 😅she turned me down 😅
- ni modo. la que sigueoh well. next one
Mini dialogue
Common mistake
Using it for a breakup. Batear refuses a request, and you can do that to a partner - what it never means is ending the relationship. That is cortar or tronar.
Turning it on yourself. Me bateé does not mean this in Mexico - the verb points at whoever did the refusing, so being refused is me bateó or me batearon.
Don't sound gringo
it is baseball. they threw, you swung, and it went away from you. that is the whole metaphor.
The usual shape is the past tense, aimed at yourself: me bateó, she turned me down. It is what you report to friends afterwards, and it is not a dramatic word - it lands closer to struck out than to rejected.
There is a second sense that has nothing to do with dating: batear una pregunta is to answer evasively, to swat the question away rather than address it. Politicians do this on the news and the word for it is the same.
It is wider than dating. You can batear a request from anybody - le pedí aumento al jefe y me bateó, los invité y me batearon. What it does not mean is break up with: something that was already running ends with cortar or tronar.
There is a third sense worth knowing: in Mexico batear also means to remove somebody from a job - lo batearon del puesto. And a register hazard off the same verb: batear de zurda means somebody is gay, so keep the phrase away from the plain uses.
Where you'll hear it
- A story told the next day with more shrugging than sadness
- A message that got a reply, and the reply was a full stop
- A question on the news that gets answered with a different question
- A group chat receiving the news and immediately making it worse
FAQ
What does batear mean in Mexican slang?
To turn somebody down - to reject an approach. It comes from baseball: they pitched, you swung, it went away.
What does me bateó mean?
They turned me down. It is the commonest form, and it lands closer to struck out than to rejected.
Can I use batear for a breakup?
No. You can batear a request from a partner, but ending the relationship is cortar or tronar.
Does batear only apply to dating?
No. Le pedí aumento al jefe y me bateó is ordinary, and lo batearon del puesto means he was pushed out of a job.
What is batear una pregunta?
To answer evasively - to swat the question away rather than address it. Common in political coverage.
Is batear harsh?
Not at all. The sports metaphor keeps it light, which is why people say it about themselves easily.
What is the difference between batear and no pelar?
An answer against the absence of one. Batear is a refusal; no pelar is being ignored.
How do I say I was the one turned down?
Me bateó or me batearon. The verb points at whoever did the refusing; me bateé does not carry this meaning in Mexico.
batear vs cortar, no me pela and friendzonear
batearvscortar
That ends a relationship. Batear refuses a request - which you can perfectly well do to a partner, you just cannot use it to mean break up with them.batearvsno me pela
Being ignored rather than refused. A batear is an answer; no pelar is the absence of one.batearvsfriendzonear
The borrowed one, and narrower. Batear covers any refused request; friendzonear is the specific outcome where you stay friends.Page coming soonbatearvsbatear de zurda
A separate locution off the same verb, recorded as Mexican, meaning somebody is gay. Worth knowing so you do not walk into it - the plain uses are unaffected.Page coming soonbatearvsbatear (baseball)
The literal verb, still completely alive. Context sorts it instantly, because one takes a ball and the other takes a person.Page coming soon
Related words
Test yourself
Tap an answer.
Your friend says 'me bateó.' What happened?
A politician 'bateó la pregunta.' What did they do?
The one thing
batear is turning somebody down - any request, not only a date. baseball, so it lands light. it also covers dodging a question and losing a job. breakups take cortar or tronar.
Sources
- Dictionarybatear, batearseDiccionario de americanismos, ASALEThe load-bearing source here: it records the rejection sense, the evasive-answer sense, and the fire-somebody sense, all marked Mx.
- DictionarybatearDiccionario de la lengua españolaThe literal verb the metaphor is built on.
- ContextSignificado y ejemplos de uso de batear en MéxicoJergozoUser-submitted Mexican examples of the rejection sense, including one about blowing off friends rather than a date.
- DictionarybatearDiccionario del español de México, El Colegio de MéxicoWorth knowing what it does NOT have - Colmex records only the baseball sense, so the rejection use is a Mexican extension its dictionary has not picked up.
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