combat
Americanverb (used with object)
-
combats,
present (3rd person singular)
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combated,
past participle, past
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combatted,
past participle, past (especially British)
-
combating,
present participle
-
combatting
present participle (especially British)
verb (used without object)
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combats,
present (3rd person singular)
-
combated,
past participle, past
-
combatted,
past participle, past (especially British)
-
combating,
present participle
-
combatting
present participle (especially British)
noun
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combats
plural
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Military. active, armed fighting with enemy forces.
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a fight, struggle, or controversy, as between two persons, teams, or ideas.
noun
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a fight, conflict, or struggle
-
-
an action fought between two military forces
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( as modifier )
a combat jacket
-
-
a fight between two individuals; duel
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fighting at close quarters
verb
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(tr) to fight or defy
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(intr; often foll by with or against) to struggle or strive (against); be in conflict (with)
to combat against disease
Usage
What does combat mean? Combat is most commonly used in a military context to refer to active fighting among opposing armies. To engage in combat is to engage in fighting. This kind of combat most commonly takes place on a battlefield or warzone on the ground (called a combat zone). Aerial combat involves fighting in the air among air forces. Hand-to-hand combat involves close fighting, often literally with one’s hands. Combat is often used as a modifier (adjective) in terms that refer to things related to or involving combat, such as combat training, combat medic, combat fatigue, and combat boots. Combat is sometimes used more broadly or figuratively to refer to active conflict between two people or groups, as in The two corporations are preparing to do combat in the courtroom. The term verbal combat refers to fighting with words. Combat is also commonly used as a verb meaning to oppose or work to defeat. It’s especially used when the thing to be defeated is intangible or abstract, as in We need to combat climate change or Our organization works to combat poverty. The figurative senses of the verbs fight and battle are close synonyms of this sense of combat. The sides engaging in combat can be called combatants. The adjective combative means inclined to fight. Example: The objective of basic training is to prepare our soldiers for combat.
Synonym Usage
See fight
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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combaternoun
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intercombatnoun
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precombatnoun
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combatableadjective
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self-combatingadjective
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uncombatableadjective
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uncombatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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combatsimple
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combatssimple
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have combatedperfect
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have combattedperfect
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has combatedperfect
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has combattedperfect
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am combatingprogressive
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am combattingprogressive
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are combatingprogressive
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are combattingprogressive
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is combatingprogressive
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is combattingprogressive
-
have been combatingperfect progressive
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have been combattingperfect progressive
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has been combatingperfect progressive
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has been combattingperfect progressive
Past
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combatedsimple
-
combattedsimple
-
had combatedperfect
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had combattedperfect
-
was combatingprogressive
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was combattingprogressive
-
were combatingprogressive
-
were combattingprogressive
-
had been combatingperfect progressive
-
had been combattingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of combat
First recorded in 1535–45; from Middle French combat (noun), combattre (verb), from Late Latin combattere, from Latin com- com- + Late Latin battere, from Latin battuere “to strike, beat”
Explanation
Combat is fighting between two groups of armed forces. When you engage in combat, typically this means you engage in fighting that involves weapons. Combat comes from the Latin com- meaning "together with" and battere meaning "to fight." Combat can be used as a modifier; for example, a combat zone is an area where fighting is taking place. The word combat can also be used to refer to the action of fighting against something to prevent it. An after-school program for kids is working to combat the issue of street violence by creating a safe space where kids can go as an alternative.
Vocabulary lists containing combat
Vocabulary from the Introduction to "Reality is Broken" by Jane McGonigal
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Memorial Day: Words of Respect and Remembrance
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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:
Last week Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh indicated that the central bank may have more work to do to combat inflation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
Until recently its central bank's interest rate was zero, but that has crept up to help combat rising inflation.
From BBC ● Sep. 2, 2026
The Chinese and Egyptian militaries carried out joint air combat exercises in August that featured Beijing's powerful J-16 fighter jet.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
“Tigi Tigi” had been marketed as a song to combat racial discrimination — both artists stressed that it was meant to project unity across all ethnicities and races.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026
At the age of thirty-three, Valentin was already an experienced combat pilot and commander.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
The company combats these techniques with technology that detects anomalies, such as spotting the same pay stubs being submitted to different lenders by more than one loan applicant.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 16, 2025
Even as her unsinkable, emotionally complicated boss combats Ava’s efforts to elevate the show at every turn, Ava’s maturation stands out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2025
The IDF did not respond to BBC requests for comment on how it combats organised looting and smuggling.
From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2024
The proteins' interaction, or pathway, is a well-known target for treating many conditions because Keap1 essentially controls when Nrf2 responds to -- and combats -- oxidative stress.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 25, 2024
Japanese warfare had previously involved single combats between samurai swordsmen, who stood in the open, made ritual speeches, and then took pride in fighting gracefully.
From "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" by Jared M. Diamond
Experts say the refurbished phone was likely loaded with spyware, and that she could have combated this by restoring factory settings before setting it up.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
Google has also combated the idea that AI will kill its Search business by developing AI Overviews and AI Search.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 12, 2025
The Times has reported that numerous fire hydrants in higher-elevation streets of the Palisades went dry, leaving crews struggling with low water pressure as they combated the flames.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 15, 2025
Meanwhile, piggery managers combated mosquitoes by mowing grass, applying insecticides, removing standing water, and repairing window screens in offices and lunch rooms.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 21, 2023
It was possible, and sometimes she thought it probable, that his affection might be reanimated, and the influence of his friends successfully combated by the more natural influence of Jane’s attractions.
From "Pride and Prejudice" by Jane Austen
The freight company has combatted a weak shipping economy by controlling costs.
From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2025
Miller rode high in the 1990s as a Democrat who combatted crime and overhauled welfare, while creating lottery-funded college scholarships.
From Seattle Times ● Sep. 11, 2022
If you find an egg mass on a tree that you can scrape off, you’re making a bigger impact, but realistically the only way the infestation can be combatted is on an industrial scale.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2022
They pose a threat that must be taken very seriously and actively combatted.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2021
Miss Alice Stone Blackwell promptly combatted the speaker's opinions, and the Woman's Journal reports that she was heartily applauded.
From Anti-Suffrage Essays by Various
It read: "Taking the law into one's own hands, especially when it involves public figures, is a reprehensible practice that prevents the IDF from focusing on its missions of combating terrorism and incitement to violence."
From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2026
In Germany, Dobrindt in June opened a new Joint Center for Countering Hybrid Threats in Berlin, aiming to centralize work detecting and combating espionage, sabotage, disinformation and state-sponsored terrorism, among other dangers.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 6, 2026
Revolut's rapid growth has meanwhile drawn criticism in recent years regarding its ability to comply with financial regulations, particularly those aimed at combating fraud and money laundering.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
The French Football Federation — which said in a statement that Amarilla’s remarks were “utterly despicable and unacceptable” and “criminal and reprehensible” — turned in a complaint to the national unit for combating online hate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
I put in long hours at Sidley & Austin, often eating both lunch and dinner at my desk while combating a continuous flow of documents, all of them written in precise and decorous lawyer-language.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Daniel Noboa, who ultimately went on to win the election and become Ecuador's president, has taken a hardline military approach to combatting crime gangs.
From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu chaired a ministerial meeting on Thursday afternoon to develop a readiness plan for extreme heat events, including combatting forest fires and ensuring adequate water supplies over the summer.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
Harman, a former minister and deputy party leader, will take on an advisor role aimed at combatting violence against women and girls, while Brown will become a special envoy on global finance.
From Barron's ● May 9, 2026
The official said the Syrian government has agreed to take the lead combatting terrorism within its borders and US military presence "at scale" is no longer required.
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2026
She claimed to be an expert in combatting cold weather and in avoiding head colds.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
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.
