battle
1[ bat-l ]
/ ˈbæt l /
noun
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.
RELATED CONTENT
RELATED WORDS
bloodshed, campaign, clash, combat, hostility, encounter, assault, fighting, strife, crusade, action, attack, struggle, skirmish, war, conflict, warfare, contest, disagreement, controversy
Nearby words
- battik,
- batting,
- batting average,
- batting eye,
- batting order,
- battle clasp,
- battle creek,
- battle cruiser,
- battle cry,
- battle dress
Idioms
give/do battle, to enter into conflict; fight: He was ready to do battle for his beliefs.
Origin of battle
1Synonym study
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.
battle
2[ 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
21300–50; 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. 2019
Examples from the Web for battle
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
Word Origin for battle
C13: from Old French bataile, from Late Latin battālia exercises performed by soldiers, from battuere to beat
Battle
1/ (ˈbætəl) /
noun
a town in SE England, in East Sussex: site of the Battle of Hastings (1066); medieval abbey. Pop: 5190 (2001)
Battle
2/ (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
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
battle
see half the battle; losing battle; pitched battle.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.