definitions

battle

1
[ bat-l ]
/ ˈbæt l /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR battle ON THESAURUS.COM

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.

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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, 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

1
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
Related formsbat·tler, noun

Synonym 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.

Definition for battle (2 of 2)

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

2
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. 2019

Examples from the Web for battle

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 Formsbattler, 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)

Battle

1
/ (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)

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

Idioms and Phrases with battle

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.