battle

[ bat-l ]

/ ˈbæt l /

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See synonyms for: battle / battled / battles / battling on Thesaurus.com

noun

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), bat·tled, bat·tling.

to engage in battle: ready to battle with the enemy.

to work very hard or struggle; strive: to battle for freedom.

verb (used with object), bat·tled, bat·tling.

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR battle

1 contest, conflict, war.

2 warfare, combat, fighting.

10 conflict.

7 contest.

See synonyms for battle on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about battle

give / do battle, to enter into conflict; fight: He was ready to do battle for his beliefs.

Origin of battle

1250–1300; Middle English bataile<Old French <Vulgar Latin *battālia for Late Latin battuālia (neuter plural) gladiatorial exercises, equivalent to battu(ere) to strike (see bate²) + -ālia, neuter plural of -ālis-al²

synonym study for battle

1. 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 WORDS FROM battle

battler, noun

Words nearby battle

battik, batting, batting average, batting eye, batting order, battle, battle-ax, Battle-Ax culture, battle-axe, battle-axe block, battlebus

Other definitions for battle (2 of 2)

battle²

[ bat-l ]

/ ˈbæt l /

verb (used with object), bat·tled, bat·tling.Archaic.

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

Origin of battle

1300–50; Middle English batailen<Middle French bataillier to provide with batailles.See battlement

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use battle in a sentence

Creating a vaccine that is effective at least 80 percent of the time, which is the threshold the Goalkeepers model uses, is only part of the battle.
A coronavirus vaccine will save more lives if we share it widely|Kat Eschner|September 17, 2020|Popular-Science
Both Lavrov and Pompeo used their visits to Cyprus to underscore the broader proxy battle at play.
Butterfly Effect: The Next U.S.-Russia Conflict Theater Could be the Mediterranean|Charu Kasturi|September 17, 2020|Ozy
So, more than a few echoes of the Cold War and the battle between capitalism and socialism.
Does Anyone Really Know What Socialism Is? (Ep. 408 Rebroadcast)|Stephen J. Dubner|September 17, 2020|Freakonomics
Creating the drug is only “part of the battle,” said Biden, who likened effective distribution to a complex military operation.
Biden questions whether a vaccine approved by Trump would be safe|Sean Sullivan|September 16, 2020|Washington Post

Apple last week filed a countersuit to stop the game maker from using its own payment system for Fortnite, escalating one of the most closely watched legal battles in the tech sector.
Apple says Epic is acting as ‘a saboteur, not a martyr’ in app store challenge|radmarya|September 16, 2020|Fortune
The U.S. military just unveiled a new effort to get Iraqis ready to battle ISIS.
Pentagon Insider on New Plan to Fight ISIS: ‘Of Course It’s Not Enough’|Nancy A. Youssef|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
First, as opposition to gay marriage collapses, American anti-LGBT activists will slow their battle against it.
‘Only God’ Can Stop Gay Marriage|Tim Mak|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
It is the steady accretion of detail that may yet be the most damaging factor in the battle for British hearts and minds.
From Playboy Prince to Dirty Old Man?|Tom Sykes|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The audio message featured the words, “the real battle in Lebanon is yet to begin.”
A Sunni-Shia Love Story Imperiled by al Qaeda|Ruth Michaelson|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Daily Beast spoke to a jubilant League on Tuesday about the behind-the-scenes battle to get The Interview to movie theaters.
The Inside Story of How Sony’s ‘The Interview’ Finally Made It to Theaters|Marlow Stern|December 23, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A Yankee, whose face had been mauled in a pot-house brawl, assured General Jackson that he had received his scars in battle.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun;|Various
After the battle of the Pyramids he fell sick, and before the Syrian expedition, applied to return to France.
Napoleon's Marshals|R. P. Dunn-Pattison
He was a distinguished warrior under Francis I, mortally wounded at the battle of Marignan.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
It was under his auspices that the battle of Lepanto was fought, in which the Turks were so signally defeated.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
Again, she was present at the battle of Silan, where her heroic example of courage infused new life into her brother rebels.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman

British Dictionary definitions for battle (1 of 3)

battle

/ (ˈbætəl) /

noun

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

conflict; contention; strugglehis battle for recognition

do battle, give battle or join battle to start fighting

verb

(when intr , often foll by against, for, or with) to fight in or as if in military combat; contend (with)she battled against cancer

to struggle in order to achieve something or arrive somewherehe battled through the crowd

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

Derived forms of battle

battler, noun

Word Origin for battle

C13: from Old French bataile, from Late Latin battālia exercises performed by soldiers, from battuere to beat

British Dictionary definitions for battle (2 of 3)

Battle¹

/ (ˈbætəl) /

noun

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

British Dictionary definitions for battle (3 of 3)

Battle²

/ (ˈbætəl) /

noun

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)

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with battle

battle

see half the battle; losing battle; pitched battle.

battle

OTHER WORDS FOR battle

Idioms about battle

Origin of battle

synonym study for battle

OTHER WORDS FROM battle

Words nearby battle

Other definitions for battle (2 of 2)

Origin of battle

Words related to battle

How to use battle in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for battle (1 of 3)

Derived forms of battle

Word Origin for battle

British Dictionary definitions for battle (2 of 3)

British Dictionary definitions for battle (3 of 3)

Other Idioms and Phrases with battle