battle
noun
a hostile encounter or engagement between opposing military forces.
Showing results for battle.
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Battled.
battle
1 American
[bat-l]
/ ˈbæt l /
noun
-
battles
plural
-
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)
battled,
battling
verb (used with object)
battled,
battling
-
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.
idioms
battle
2
American
[bat-l]
/ ˈbæt l /
verb (used with object)
Archaic.
battled,
battling
battle
1
British
/ ˈbætəl /
noun
-
a fight between large armed forces; military or naval engagement; combat
-
conflict; contention; struggle
his battle for recognition
-
to start fighting
verb
-
to fight in or as if in military combat; contend (with)
she battled against cancer
-
to struggle in order to achieve something or arrive somewhere
he battled through the crowd
-
(intr) to scrape a living, esp by doing odd jobs
Battle
2
British
/ ˈbætəl /
noun
Battle
3
British
/ ˈbætəl /
noun
battle
More Idioms
Synonym Usage
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
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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; see also -al 2, bate 2
Origin of battle2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English batailen, from Middle French bataillier “to provide with batailles; see battlement
Explanation
A battle is an open struggle, usually between two groups — like a baseball championship game or a food fight. The word battle is often used in opposition to war, a series of battles. Perhaps you have heard someone tell you, after winning the first of many dance competitions, "You may have won the battle, but you haven’t won the war!" A battle doesn’t have to occur between two individuals or groups. You may endure an inner battle to cut down on junk food. If you skip those fries for lunch today, then you have won a small battle.
Vocabulary lists containing battle
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"Julius Caesar" by William Shakespeare, Act V
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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.
See Examples For:
"This allows us to create the necessary conditions for subsequent successful operations, seize the initiative in battle, and plan future successful manoeuvres… each of these actions is a building block towards victory."
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
Talk about winning the battle but losing the war.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
Lev Stupnikov fed troop locations and battle plans to the enemy before making a daring escape.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Bass, now in a tough battle for a second term, portrayed Raman as someone who isn’t ready to lead the city.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
New armor appeared on Traveler’s character as he sorted through the loot he’d won in the battle.
From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows
The 1966 Battle of Hastings re-enactment that got real.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 6, 2026
It tells, over 230 feet of finely embroidered cloth, the story of the last time England was conquered—the victory of William of Normandy at the Battle of Hastings in 1066.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 4, 2026
Services on the route go via Battle, Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Shifen Fox, whose father was killed during the siege, sets out to rescue its story in “The Battle of Hengyang.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
The Battle of Manila rages on for days, then weeks, as American and Philippine forces push the Japanese soldiers toward surrender.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
The filmmakers followed the heated battles as people in the divided community resorted to screaming and name-calling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026
After several weeks of court battles fighting extradition, Serhii K - identified in court documents as Serhii Kuznetsov - was transferred to Germany late last year.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
The anecdote sets the tone for what follows, nearly 300 pages—co-written with Alan Maimon—focused on Mr. Winfield’s emotional and financial battles with Steinbrenner.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026
The campaign is playing out against an unusually combustible mix of economic anxiety, war, immigration battles, corruption concerns and unease over rapidly expanding artificial intelligence.
From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026
The Spanish-American War lasted less than three months, with Spain losing several land and naval battles.
From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly
Pepsi has long battled for the top spot in soda sales with Coca-Cola, but it has lost ground to beverages like Dr Pepper.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
Royal Mail has battled with increased competition and falling demand for letter deliveries in recent years, and last week announced plans to cut 2,500 head office and other supporting roles by the end of 2027.
From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026
Haugen and Horwitz battled similarly daunting foes, and the rot they uncovered was just as systemic and frightening as the reporting.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
Haskins’ friend and longtime caretaker, Kimberly Snow, confirmed the actor’s Sept. 27 death and told The Times that Haskins had quietly battled Parkinson’s disease and was candid about other health issues.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
For three days he rode the 54 bus to Shady Glen, battled germs all day, and rode the 54 bus back to his aunt’s house, swearing that was it!
From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman
I grew up within driving distance of several of my cousins and spent vacations with them at my grandparents’ home, playing in the pool and battling over board games.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026
Istanbul was battling on Thursday to recover from flooding caused by what officials described as the heaviest rainfall in at least 80 years, as the toll rose to three dead and five missing.
From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026
Fast-food chains have been battling for consumers and often resorting to discounts to do so.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
The designer’s rep further shared that Mackie was staying at McFate’s house at the time of his fall, and that he was battling pneumonia at the time.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
It was that way between them, because, after years of battling each other, C.P. and Ann took that courageous first step of listening.
From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson
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