Definition of "baton" []

• Music A slender wooden stick or rod used by a conductor to direct an orchestra or band. (noun)
• A hollow metal rod with a heavy rubber tip or tips that is wielded and twirled by a drum major or drum majorette. (noun)
• A short staff carried by certain public officials as a symbol of office. (noun)
• Sports The hollow cylinder that is carried by each member of a relay team in a running race and passed to the next team member. (noun)
• A short stick carried by police; a billy club. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• ""Clearly," wrote Geerdes, "the Tac [tical Squad] cop with his baton is the modern counterpart of the bone-wielding killer ape, while the longhaired hippy represents ... a regression to an earlier, primitive level of development" — but one that promised "intellectually a progression into the future.""
• "I do hope a few of those cameras came within baton swing the odd time. on April 2, 2009 at 12: 22 am | Reply Lucy"
• "We must take the bipartisan baton from the members of the Commission and demonstrate a unity of purpose in achieving the goal of financial stability once again."