batten down the hatches

verb

To prepare for trouble.

“It's time to batten down the hatches and prepare for the coming challenge.”

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Meanings

verbbatten down the hatches (third-person singular simple present battens down the hatches, present participle battening down the hatches, simple past and past participle battened down the hatches)

present singular third person battens down the hatches · participle present battening down the hatches · participle past battened down the hatches · past battened down the hatches

  1. idiomaticTo prepare for trouble.

    It's time to batten down the hatches and prepare for the coming challenge.

Origin

From the practice aboard a ship of sealing hatches to prevent water getting below-decks in a storm by using covers secured by strips of material, called battens, firmly attached to the frame of the hatch opening.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish valmistautua vaikeuksiin, sulkea luukut
  • valmistautua vaikeuksiinto prepare for trouble
  • sulkea luukutnautical: to cover the hatches
French se préparer au pire, condamner les panneaux
  • se préparer au pireto prepare for trouble
  • condamner les panneauxnautical: to cover the hatches
German sich warm anziehen, die Schotten dicht machen
  • sich warm anziehento prepare for trouble
  • die Schotten dicht machennautical: to cover the hatches
Italian correre ai ripari, prepararsi al peggio
  • correre ai riparito prepare for trouble
  • prepararsi al peggioto prepare for trouble
  • chiudere i boccaportinautical: to cover the hatches
Norwegian Bokmål skalke lukene
  • skalke lukenenautical: to cover the hatches
Polish przygotowywać się na najgorsze, przygotować się na najgorsze
  • przygotowywać się na najgorszeto prepare for trouble
  • przygotować się na najgorszeto prepare for trouble
  • zasłaniać lukinautical: to cover the hatches
  • zasłonić lukinautical: to cover the hatches
Russian задраить люки
  • задраить люки (zadraitʹ ljuki)nautical: to cover the hatches
Spanish cerrar las escotillas
  • cerrar las escotillasnautical: to cover the hatches
Cite this entry
APA

batten down the hatches. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/batten%20down%20the%20hatches

MLA

“batten down the hatches.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/batten%20down%20the%20hatches. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “batten down the hatches,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/batten%20down%20the%20hatches.

Source: batten down the hatches on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.