battle
noun
a hostile encounter or engagement between opposing military forces.
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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:
The second season of “The Pitt” currently stands as the favorite for drama series, while the comedy series category is a battle between new series “Widow’s Bay” and departing series “Hacks.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
The hostile Vegas spotlight, meanwhile, evokes memories of Benn senior's ferocious 1995 battle with Gerald McClellan.
From BBC ● Sep. 11, 2026
Kyle Hermann, a 29-year-old teacher from California, praised Rubio's "charm and his wit" and said he hoped both men could emerge from any primary battle without damaging each other.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
Smith was wounded by shrapnel in the battle for Okinawa; he was depressed and unable to work for over a year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
It was the bloodiest one-day battle in US history.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
It was originally embroidered in England but kept for centuries in France, and tells the story of the Norman conquest of England and the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
Depicting the 1066 Battle of Hastings and the invasion by William the Conqueror's Norman army, the tapestry has shadowy origins.
From Barron's ● Sep. 10, 2026
The artwork depicts in 58 scenes events leading up to the Battle of Hastings and Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
The more than 200-foot-long work chronicles the events leading up to the Battle of Hastings and the Norman conquest of England.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026
The air raids became known as the Battle of Britain.
From "Hitler Youth: Growing Up in Hitler's Shadow" by Susan Campbell Bartoletti
He went on to participate in several significant battles and survived a wound to the neck.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 7, 2026
Before her hand could be raised in the ring, there were battles to be won outside of it.
From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026
In case you’ve missed one of the most surprising battles in sports, Kiffin and the Tigers attempted to bring back two players who had already done stints in the NFL.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
Thick smog has blanketed parts of Indonesia as the vast archipelago for weeks battles to contain fires that have burned large swathes of Borneo and Sumatra.
From Barron's ● Sep. 5, 2026
Soon they were engaged in air battles just as fierce as those they’d fought the previous summer.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
Family members battled over custody, how children would be raised and who would control the money paid out by insurance policies and victims’ funds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026
In Smith’s first at-bat, he battled for nine pitches, finally lifting a changeup over the left field wall.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026
Teams battled rain, rising rivers and treacherous conditions at the disaster sites.
From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026
Made some really good deliveries in the first half and battled well all afternoon.
From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026
The Quaker William Allen, who had sworn off sugar for nearly fifty years while he battled against slavery, drank his first cup of tea with a spoonful of white, free sugar.
From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson
He also wanted to be closer to his father, who was battling cancer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026
The Zvernec residents have already been battling this appropriation of their land in the courts for 20 years, so in many ways, the Kushner development is just the latest twist.
From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026
The Miami Dolphins gritted their teeth through $99 million in dead money when they released Tua Tagovailoa, who landed in Atlanta and is now battling for the quarterback gig.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
In the 20-minute gameplay sequence, Lara Croft -- still in her famous blue top and brown shorts -- explores an abandoned tomb in Greece, battling panthers and dodging giant swords falling from the ceiling.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
After he visited with Mrs. LeMaigre and determined that she was battling yellow fever, Rush began to change his tactics.
From "An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793" by Jim Murphy
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.
