battle
noun
a hostile encounter or engagement between opposing military forces.
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
Superhero Lexicon
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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:
They are among 34 customers who told the BBC that they also bought cars from Trade Centre UK branches in Coventry, Rochdale, Rotherham and Wales but are still locked in a battle for refunds.
From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026
Eiko Ishioka designed the blood-red battle armor with a ribbed surface evoking both exposed human musculature and an armadillo’s shell, while the pointed helmet foreshadows the wolf Dracula later becomes.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
The Daily Telegraph carries a series of allegations regarding the care of celebrated explorer Sir Ranulph Fiennes, who has been open about his battle with Parkinson's disease.
From BBC ● Sep. 25, 2026
And they need to have a battle plan so they can hit the ground running in January.
From Salon ● Sep. 24, 2026
In the recorded annals of puffin military campaigns, never did a puffin march into battle with such dignified grit.
From "The Very, Very Far North" by Dan Bar-el
The lack of adequate explanation does seem to be a sin of omission by “The Battle to Breathe,” especially given the narrative that leads us to the development of Trikafta.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
"It means everything our grandparents, our parents fought for – today is the Battle of Britain," he said.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
The region was also the site of the Battle of Jutland, fought off Hanstholm in Northern Jutland.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026
Representing the UK at the Eurovision Song Contest brought Sam Battle one point, but the musician has said the result is a "badge of honour".
From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026
During that turbulent final week of July 1943, William Faulkner was on the other side of the world in Hollywood, California, feverishly pulling together the screenplay for the sweeping wartime movie Battle Cry.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
By his mid-30s, he had unlocked years of memories from his time fighting battles in space.
From Slate ● Sep. 22, 2026
In separate, earlier legal battles, the Duke of Sussex beat the Mirror Group in court, and the News Group out of court, forcing a settlement, damages, payout and apology.
From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2026
Certain people have their own little fiefdoms or specific knowledge of how government bureaucracy works, which gives them a leg up in internecine battles.
From Salon ● Sep. 20, 2026
One of the fiercest battles between the KMT and Japan, little-known to Westerners or Chinese for the past 80 years, was the 47-day siege of Hengyang, in southern China.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The lamassus roared and abandoned their battles to sprint in to help their mistress, but it was too late.
From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda
England had battled to a 3-2 win over Mexico in the Azteca Stadium, where they played with 10 men for over 35 minutes after Jarell Quansah's red card.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
He battled it with chemotherapy and radiation, according to reporting from USA Today.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Harry battled the ministry in the courts after Ravec downgraded his security following his 2020 move.
From Barron's ● Sep. 7, 2026
Several new mothers battled what looked like postpartum depression.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
Both schools could now count on tens of thousands of students, alumni, and excited citizens to turn out for their annual dual regattas in April, when they battled for preeminence in West Coast rowing.
From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown
Today is not like 2022, when the Fed was battling surging inflation with an aggressive rate-hiking cycle, Kourkafas noted.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 26, 2026
Indonesia has been battling fires for weeks in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, sending suffocating haze across the islands and neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore.
From Barron's ● Sep. 26, 2026
Loui is battling Kao in court to recover the millions he contends Kao stole from the company.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
Two people died on Sunday when their helicopter crashed while battling the Dome fire in Yosemite National Park.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 21, 2026
His mom had been battling a mad fruit-fly infestation ever since the weather had turned really warm.
From "The Lemonade War" by Jacqueline Davies
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.
