Bates

//beɪts// name, verb

name, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb
  1. 1
    third-person singular simple present indicative of bate form-of, indicative, present, singular, third-person
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname originating as a patronymic.
  2. 2
    A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Scott County, Arkansas.
  3. 3
    A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in New Berlin Township, Sangamon County, Illinois.
  4. 4
    A number of places in the United States:; A ghost town in Acme Township, Grand Traverse County, Michigan.
  5. 5
    A number of places in the United States:; A township in Iron County, Michigan.
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    A number of places in the United States:; A hamlet in the town of Ellington, Chautauqua County, New York.
  2. 7
    A number of places in the United States:; An unincorporated community in Grant County, Oregon.

Example

More examples

"Why did Dickens call this character Master Bates?"

Etymology

A patronymic surname that is derived from Batte, a medieval form of the male given name Bartholomew + -s (denoting "son of") hence meaning "son of Bartholomew".

Related phrases

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.