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.
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Nearby words
Idioms
give/do battle, to enter into conflict; fight: He was ready to do battle for his beliefs.
Origin of battle
1Related forms
bat·tler, nounSynonym 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
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
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
battler, nounWord 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.