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View synonyms for

battle

1

[ bat-l ]

noun

  1. a hostile encounter or engagement between opposing military forces:

    the battle of Waterloo.

    Synonyms: , ,

  2. participation in such hostile encounters or engagements:

    wounds received in battle.

    Synonyms: ,

  3. a fight between two persons or animals:

    ordering a trial by battle to settle the dispute.

  4. any conflict or struggle:

    a battle for control of the Senate.

  5. Archaic. a battalion.


verb (used without object)

battled, battling.
  1. to engage in battle:

    ready to battle with the enemy.

  2. to work very hard or struggle; strive:

    to battle for freedom.

    Synonyms:

verb (used with object)

battled, battling.
  1. to fight (a person, army, cause, etc.):

    We battled strong winds and heavy rains in our small boat.

  2. to force or accomplish by fighting, struggling, etc.:

    He battled his way to the top of his profession.

battle

2

[ bat-l ]

verb (used with object)

Archaic.
battled, battling.
  1. to furnish (a building or wall) with battlements; crenelate.

battle

1

/ ˈæə /

noun

  1. a fight between large armed forces; military or naval engagement; combat
  2. conflict; contention; struggle

    his battle for recognition

  3. do battle or give battle or join battle
    to start fighting
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. whenintr, often foll by against, for, or with to fight in or as if in military combat; contend (with)

    she battled against cancer

  2. to struggle in order to achieve something or arrive somewhere

    he battled through the crowd

  3. intr to scrape a living, esp by doing odd jobs
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Battle

2

/ ˈæə /

noun

  1. a town in SE England, in East Sussex: site of the Battle of Hastings (1066); medieval abbey. Pop: 5190 (2001)
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Battle

3

/ ˈæə /

noun

  1. BattleKathleen1948FUSMUSIC: coloratura soprano Kathleen . born 1948, US opera singer: a coloratura soprano, she made her professional debut in 1972 and sang with New York City's Metropolitan Opera (1977–94)
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈٳٱ, noun
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Other Word Forms

  • t noun
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Word History and Origins

Origin of battle1

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English batail(le), batal, from Old French bataille, from Vulgar Latin ٳ (unrecorded) for Late Latin ٳٳ (neuter plural) “gladiatorial exercises,” equivalent to battu(ere) “to strike” + -, neuter plural of - adjective suffix; -al 2, bate 2

Origin of battle2

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English batailen, from Middle French bataillier “to provide with batailles; battlement
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Word History and Origins

Origin of battle1

C13: from Old French bataile , from Late Latin ٳ exercises performed by soldiers, from battuere to beat
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. give / do battle, to enter into conflict; fight:

    He was ready to do battle for his beliefs.

More idioms and phrases containing battle

see half the battle ; losing battle ; pitched battle .
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Synonym Study

Battle, action, skirmish mean a conflict between organized armed forces. A battle is a prolonged and general conflict pursued to a definite decision: the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. A skirmish is a slight engagement, often on the periphery of an area of battle: several minor skirmishes. An action can be a battle or a skirmish or can refer to actual fighting or combat: a major military action; action along the border; He saw action in the campaign.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

"France are not going to want to get into a territory battle, they are going to want to have their territory in the 22 when they can dominate with their big carries."

From

But we controlled the field really well with our kicking and winning the aerial battle and the crowd gave the boys that extra five or 10 per cent.

From

Through Joe’s raw inner monologue, "You" challenged us to empathize with a man fighting a losing battle with his sanity, and confronted the reality of being open and honest with destructive thoughts.

From

The RSF has been battling the army for the past two years in a war that has killed tens of thousands and forced some 13 million people from their homes.

From

But now James was battling a recurrence of cancer, his legs wrapped in mystery wounds that took too long to diagnose.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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