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.
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.
a fight between large armed forces; military or naval engagement; combat
conflict; contention; struggle
his battle for recognition
to start fighting
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, 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.
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
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English batailen, from Middle French bataillier “to provide with batailles; see battlement
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
British airline EasyJet, the target of a multi-billion-pound takeover battle, said Thursday that profits plunged in the third quarter as the Middle East war sent jet fuel prices soaring.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Elon Musk has lost yet another legal battle.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Late “Dawson’s Creek” star James Van Der Beek’s former Beverly Hills home has been offered up for rent—five months after the actor died following a battle with cancer.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
What he finds is a conflict pitting human progress, and its attenuating battle for power and domination, against nature.
From Salon ● Jul. 22, 2026
The prisoners hope for liberation, but they know the American and Filipino troops face a tough battle ahead.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
On July 1, 1916, the first day of the Battle of the Somme, there were 70,000 casualties.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
This is estimable, but Mr. Westad—with the Battle of the Somme in mind—suggests that there is an even higher morality that might require concessions on those very issues to keep the peace.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
The event memorialises the Protestant King William III's victory over the Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in July 1690.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
It marks the 110th anniversary of the Battle of Delville Wood in Longueval, northern France, where several hundred South Africans were killed.
From Barron's ● Jul. 11, 2026
Mrs. Battle frowns and says, “Tell Erin the team will visit,” as if that will really help.
From "Boy21" by Matthew Quick
Around 12,000 people have been evacuated from the south-west of France as the country battles ongoing wildfires days after two firefighters died near Bordeaux airport, French media reported.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
Here are the battles that will shape the game:
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
It is a place that has witnessed military battles, sovereignty disputes and a 13-year blockade imposed by Spain.
From BBC ● Jul. 12, 2026
That tension has defined some of the most significant First Amendment battles in American history, including disputes over classified documents, confidential sources and government efforts to identify journalists’ sources.
From Salon ● Jul. 11, 2026
They had mock battles and tumbled over and over, wrestling and biting.
From "My Life with the Chimpanzees" by Jane Goodall
In my case, I battled the weeds in my lawn for years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
He increasingly battled with a top command he cast as out of date, not flexible and bogged down with bureaucracy.
From Barron's ● Jul. 16, 2026
He battled Stage 3 angioimmunoblastic T-cell lymphoma, a rare and aggressive type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026
Hundreds of French firefighters aided by water bombers on Tuesday battled wildfires that have ravaged a hugely popular forest outside Paris as another scorching heatwave keeps the capital in its grip.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
In the few hours allotted to sleep each night, C.P. battled nightmare visions of betrayal and retribution.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
Around 700 firefighters have been battling the flames on land, while several firefighting planes have been dumping water from the sky since the blaze erupted around midday on Wednesday.
From Barron's ● Jul. 23, 2026
Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said a firefighter died after falling ill while battling the flames.
From Barron's ● Jul. 22, 2026
On her worst days, battling postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome — POTS, a blood circulation disorder — she has struggled to get out of bed.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026
Firefighters have been battling blazes at two warehouses.
From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026
“It is somewhat awry, with the bow aslant from the stern, but it hath an air, as if it had been battling the storm.”
From "The Door in the Wall" by Marguerite de Angeli
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.
