battle
1 Americannoun
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a hostile encounter or engagement between opposing military forces.
the battle of Waterloo.
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participation in such hostile encounters or engagements.
wounds received in battle.
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a fight between two persons or animals.
ordering a trial by battle to settle the dispute.
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any conflict or struggle.
a battle for control of the Senate.
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Archaic. a battalion.
verb (used without object)
verb (used with object)
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to fight (a person, army, cause, etc.).
We battled strong winds and heavy rains in our small boat.
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to force or accomplish by fighting, struggling, etc..
He battled his way to the top of his profession.
idioms
verb (used with object)
noun
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a fight between large armed forces; military or naval engagement; combat
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conflict; contention; struggle
his battle for recognition
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to start fighting
verb
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to fight in or as if in military combat; contend (with)
she battled against cancer
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to struggle in order to achieve something or arrive somewhere
he battled through the crowd
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(intr) to scrape a living, esp by doing odd jobs
noun
noun
Related Words
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
- battler noun
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; -al 2, bate 2
Origin of battle2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English batailen, from Middle French bataillier “to provide with batailles; battlement
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
A point edges fourth-placed Liverpool three points clear of Chelsea and Manchester United in the battle for a place in next season's Champions League.
From Barron's
Second-placed City are now four points behind leaders Arsenal, when a win would have closed the gap to two points at the halfway point of the battle for the title.
From Barron's
Meanwhile, players also battle each other to secure star talent and license hot brands.
He believes Beijing is keen to collect taxes "wherever it can" as it battles a housing market slump and growing national debt.
From BBC
It has been a difficult year for the PM, who has been battling slowing economic growth, poor poll ratings and speculation he could face a leadership challenge.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
