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• battle
  battle

  noun

  a hostile encounter or engagement between opposing military forces.
• Battle
  Battle

  noun

  a town in SE England, in East Sussex: site of the Battle of Hastings (1066); medieval abbey. Pop: 5190 (2001)

battle

¹ American  

[bat-l] / ˈbæt l /

noun

• battles
  plural

1. a hostile encounter or engagement between opposing military forces.

   the battle of Waterloo.

   Synonyms:

   war, conflict, contest

2. participation in such hostile encounters or engagements.

   wounds received in battle.

   Synonyms:

   combat, warfare

3. a fight between two persons or animals.

   ordering a trial by battle to settle the dispute.

4. any conflict or struggle.

   a battle for control of the Senate.

5. Archaic. a battalion.

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verb (used without object)

battled, battling

1. to engage in battle.

   ready to battle with the enemy.

2. to work very hard or struggle; strive.

   to battle for freedom.

   Synonyms:

   toil

verb (used with object)

battled, battling

1. to fight (a person, army, cause, etc.).

   We battled strong winds and heavy rains in our small boat.

2. to force or accomplish by fighting, struggling, etc..

   He battled his way to the top of his profession.

idioms

1. give / do battle, to enter into conflict; fight.

   He was ready to do battle for his beliefs.

battle ² American  

[bat-l] / ˈbæt l /

verb (used with object)

Archaic.

battled, battling

1. to furnish (a building or wall) with battlements; crenelate.

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battle ¹ British  

/ ˈbætəl /

noun

1. a fight between large armed forces; military or naval engagement; combat

2. conflict; contention; struggle

   his battle for recognition

3. to start fighting

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verb

1. to fight in or as if in military combat; contend (with)

   she battled against cancer

2. to struggle in order to achieve something or arrive somewhere

   he battled through the crowd

3. (intr) to scrape a living, esp by doing odd jobs

Battle ² British  

/ ˈbætəl /

noun

1. a town in SE England, in East Sussex: site of the Battle of Hastings (1066); medieval abbey. Pop: 5190 (2001)

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Battle ³ British  

/ ˈbætəl /

noun

1. Kathleen . born 1948, US opera singer: a coloratura soprano, she made her professional debut in 1972 and sang with New York City's Metropolitan Opera (1977–94)

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battle More Idioms  

1. see half the battle; losing battle; pitched battle.

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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

• battler
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• battles
  plural

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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

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

battle Battle battles battled battling

It’s become a battle in which the weapons are sandbags, water pumps, sand berms and drainage canals.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

I suspect a lengthy, traumatic and expensive legal battle is exactly what he wants.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026

The Brazilian president has an uphill battle to revive his once-magnetic hold on voters.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 26, 2026

The probe against Powell was dropped to smooth the way for Warsh's Senate confirmation, but the battle to fire Cook continues despite a Supreme Court decision nullifying an earlier attempt to do so.

From Barron's ● Oct. 25, 2026

They went about their work with the grim resolve of soldiers in battle.

From "Meltdown" by Deirdre Langeland

His family has been Georgia fans for decades and his coach at the Franklin, Tenn., Battle Ground Academy is a longtime friend of Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 26, 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

Over its 103-year-old history, Warner Bros has won more than 100 Academy Awards - including dominating at last year's show with a record-tying 11 Oscars for One Battle After Another, Sinners and Weapons.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

The 1966 Battle of Hastings re-enactment that got real.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026

I flipped it open and paged through to the section on the Battle of the Bulge.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Starbucks said it would close 250 locations in North America as the chain battles increased competition.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026

Legislative battles over the fate of the cultural tradition that's nearly as old as Central Park itself have been ongoing for nearly two decades.

From Barron's ● Oct. 22, 2026

As Indonesia battles its worst wildfire season in a decade, a toxic haze is choking millions of residents in the region.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

Her coverage also spans high-stakes litigation, novel legal strategies, and court battles that impact business and the economy.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 18, 2026

I studied battles way before I ever stepped foot in the Ring.

From "On the Come Up" by Angie Thomas

He battled Rays reliever Ian Seymour for eight pitches, fouling off a collection of well-placed fastballs.

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

Fire crews also battled a fire at Limoges town hall, which caused part of the building to collapse.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

It had been a maddening couple of months as Ohtani battled injuries, slid down the batting order and failed to produce when the Dodgers needed him most — in the postseason.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

I went into the hilariously tiny bathroom and battled my bedhead for a while until everything looked suitably mid-2000s Natalie Portman.

From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green

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

But Macdonald also spent the last nine years of his life battling leukemia while keeping it secret not just from his audience but his friends.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2026

Fire crews were still battling the blaze late into the night, while eyewitnesses captured the dramatic moment the tower's turret fell.

From BBC ● Oct. 18, 2026

On April 13, they nearly crashed another canoe when two paddles splintered against the rocks while battling the rapids.

From "Death on the River of Doubt" by Samantha Seiple

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Related Words

• action
• assault
• attack
• bloodshed
• bombing
• campaign
• clash
• combat
• conflict
• crusade
• encounter
• fighting
• hostility
• skirmish
• strife
• struggle
• war
• warfare

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