battle
noun
a hostile encounter or engagement between opposing military forces.
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Battl.
battle
1 American
[bat-l]
/ ˈbæt l /
noun
-
battles
plural
-
a hostile encounter or engagement between opposing military forces.
the battle of Waterloo.
-
participation in such hostile encounters or engagements.
wounds received in battle.
-
a fight between two persons or animals.
ordering a trial by battle to settle the dispute.
-
any conflict or struggle.
a battle for control of the Senate.
-
Archaic. a battalion.
verb (used without object)
battled,
battling
verb (used with object)
battled,
battling
-
to fight (a person, army, cause, etc.).
We battled strong winds and heavy rains in our small boat.
-
to force or accomplish by fighting, struggling, etc..
He battled his way to the top of his profession.
idioms
battle
2
American
[bat-l]
/ ˈbæt l /
verb (used with object)
Archaic.
battled,
battling
battle
1
British
/ ˈbætəl /
noun
-
a fight between large armed forces; military or naval engagement; combat
-
conflict; contention; struggle
his battle for recognition
-
to start fighting
verb
-
to fight in or as if in military combat; contend (with)
she battled against cancer
-
to struggle in order to achieve something or arrive somewhere
he battled through the crowd
-
(intr) to scrape a living, esp by doing odd jobs
Battle
2
British
/ ˈbætəl /
noun
Battle
3
British
/ ˈbætəl /
noun
battle
More Idioms
Synonym Usage
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.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of battle1
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English batail(le), batal, from Old French bataille, from Vulgar Latin battālia (unrecorded) for Late Latin battuālia (neuter plural) “gladiatorial exercises,” equivalent to battu(ere) “to strike” + -ālia, neuter plural of -ālis adjective suffix; see also -al 2, bate 2
Origin of battle2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English batailen, from Middle French bataillier “to provide with batailles; see battlement
Explanation
A battle is an open struggle, usually between two groups — like a baseball championship game or a food fight. The word battle is often used in opposition to war, a series of battles. Perhaps you have heard someone tell you, after winning the first of many dance competitions, "You may have won the battle, but you haven’t won the war!" A battle doesn’t have to occur between two individuals or groups. You may endure an inner battle to cut down on junk food. If you skip those fries for lunch today, then you have won a small battle.
Vocabulary lists containing battle
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"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act V
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
He continued to battle to try to make things happen, but since arriving from Bodo/Glimt in the summer, he has now failed to score in 16 of his 17 Celtic appearances.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
With its English version, Hollywood special effects and epic battle scenes, "Ramayana" appears aimed at international audiences as much as the movie-mad country of 1.4 billion people.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
“That was sort of a defining battle between North and South, but nobody won it. It was just that the lines had been drawn, and those lines still stand today.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
You have an uphill battle ahead of you.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 5, 2026
Watching my classmates react to being thrust into the middle of an active battle reminded me of something, and I raised my hand.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Namely, the Battle of Lundy’s Lane from 1814.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
That’s the motto of the Texas Longhorns and Texas soldiers’ cry in the Battle of Gonzales, which kicked off the Texas Revolution.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
"He was awarded the Military Cross for his bravery at the Battle of the Somme. He was mentioned in despatches on a number of occasions as well."
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
The 1966 Battle of Hastings re-enactment that got real.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
When Tecumseh was killed in October r8r3 at the Battle of the Thames, the alliance crumbled.
From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
The series centres on the adventures of green-clad warrior Link, who battles the evil demon Ganondorf across the ages trying to save Princess Zelda.
From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026
Musk appears to realize that battles are ahead.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 4, 2026
According to experts, early voting data is showing something unexpected: The vote is being driven by young voters rather than just those who went through the earlier battles.
From Salon ● Nov. 3, 2026
“He’s all insecurities and anxieties, but he’s also all of the good things, the battles with being a good person, empathetic person who’s trying their absolute best.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026
Even he, little as he knew of battles, could soon see that the Archenlanders and Narnians had won.
From "The Horse and His Boy" by C.S. Lewis
At the restart, Leclerc locked his left front wheel heavily as Verstappen and Hamilton battled for the lead in front of him, and Antonelli passed him at the start of the next lap.
From BBC ● Nov. 1, 2026
Working with the U.S. law firm Covington & Burling LLP, Naftogaz battled in the courts for nearly a decade with no result.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026
The powerful winds also battered northern France across the Channel as Europe battled its first big autumn storms of the year and experts warned of more extreme weather events because of global warming.
From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026
On Sunday, stunned residents watched as firefighters, who had battled the blaze through the night, assessed the building's structural integrity.
From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026
For nine years she had battled the cancer in her bone marrow; now the contest was ending.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
“You truly feel like a kid and you’ve imagined yourself more grown up battling in some fantastical place,” the actor says.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
But having to hold your breath for long periods while battling with short sticks at the bottom of a pool builds a unique team spirit, Malaysian player Hui Chin Teoh told AFP.
From Barron's ● Oct. 23, 2026
It isn’t only passenger jets that are battling to find safe routings.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026
From the day they were born, just seven weeks ago, twins Raghad Hassan and her brother Raad have been battling for survival.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
One of the smaller fires had already been doused, and a team of warriors was now battling the main one near the giant tent.
From "Beasts of Prey" by Ayana Gray
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
