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• battle
  battle

  noun

  a hostile encounter or engagement between opposing military forces.
• Battle
  Battle

  noun

  a town in SE England, in East Sussex: site of the Battle of Hastings (1066); medieval abbey. Pop: 5190 (2001)

battle

¹ American  

[bat-l] / ˈbæt l /

noun

• battles
  plural

1. a hostile encounter or engagement between opposing military forces.

   the battle of Waterloo.

   Synonyms:

   war, conflict, contest

2. participation in such hostile encounters or engagements.

   wounds received in battle.

   Synonyms:

   combat, warfare

3. a fight between two persons or animals.

   ordering a trial by battle to settle the dispute.

4. any conflict or struggle.

   a battle for control of the Senate.

5. Archaic. a battalion.

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verb (used without object)

battled, battling

1. to engage in battle.

   ready to battle with the enemy.

2. to work very hard or struggle; strive.

   to battle for freedom.

   Synonyms:

   toil

verb (used with object)

battled, battling

1. to fight (a person, army, cause, etc.).

   We battled strong winds and heavy rains in our small boat.

2. to force or accomplish by fighting, struggling, etc..

   He battled his way to the top of his profession.

idioms

1. give / do battle, to enter into conflict; fight.

   He was ready to do battle for his beliefs.

battle ² American  

[bat-l] / ˈbæt l /

verb (used with object)

Archaic.

battled, battling

1. to furnish (a building or wall) with battlements; crenelate.

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battle ¹ British  

/ ˈbætəl /

noun

1. a fight between large armed forces; military or naval engagement; combat

2. conflict; contention; struggle

   his battle for recognition

3. to start fighting

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verb

1. to fight in or as if in military combat; contend (with)

   she battled against cancer

2. to struggle in order to achieve something or arrive somewhere

   he battled through the crowd

3. (intr) to scrape a living, esp by doing odd jobs

Battle ² British  

/ ˈbætəl /

noun

1. a town in SE England, in East Sussex: site of the Battle of Hastings (1066); medieval abbey. Pop: 5190 (2001)

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Battle ³ British  

/ ˈbætəl /

noun

1. 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)

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battle More Idioms  

1. see half the battle; losing battle; pitched battle.

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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

• battler
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• battles
  plural

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

battle Battle battles battled battling

Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison is highly motivated to end the court battle with Bonta before Oct.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 19, 2026

Palantir is currently involved in a legal battle with the Mayor of London's office, over its decision to block the Metropolitan Police from agreeing a contract with the company.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Each year more than 600 of the state's most promising teenage rowers battle it out on the crocodile-inhabited Fitzroy River, in the city of Rockhampton.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Restaurant worker Bobby Skelton, wearing a battle vest with a “Nazi Lives Don’t Matter” patch, stepped to the microphone and delivered a rant against “mass surveillance.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

I stopped in the doorway of Room 130 for a minute, just taking it in so I could do like soldiers do before a battle: assess the enemy, formulate a plan, get armed, and attack.

From "Ida B" by Katherine Hannigan

Her descriptions of the Chinese viewpoint—during and for decades after the battle—makes “The Battle of Hengyang” essential reading for anyone looking to understand the Asian theater of World War II.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

In the late 1890s, John Harvey Kellogg, the director of a Seventh-day Adventist sanitarium in Battle Creek, Mich., wanted a vegetarian breakfast alternative to the bacon and eggs his clients were accustomed to.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

The region was also the site of the Battle of Jutland, fought off Hanstholm in Northern Jutland.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 14, 2026

Battle, better known by his stage name Look Mum No Computer, represented the UK at this year's Eurovision Song Contest with the electronic pop song Eins, Zwei, Drei.

From BBC ● Sep. 12, 2026

But then their offensive sputtered to a halt as infantrymen and horse-drawn artillery became ensnared in the obstacle course of churned-up fields, abandoned trenches, and shattered roads left from the Battle of the Somme.

From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman

For the Tatas, who are no strangers to boardroom battles, a cloud of uncertainty now prevails at multiple levels.

From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026

Indonesia regularly battles wildfires during the dry season, which typically runs from July to October.

From Barron's ● Sep. 17, 2026

In that respect, like many other merger battles, this one has been producing more murk than light.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 16, 2026

Let’s celebrate that, even as we gird for more battles to come.

From Slate ● Sep. 15, 2026

But I couldn’t stop thinking about what Dad had told me, about facing your own battles.

From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas

He battled Muhammad Ali in 1966 and 1972, and though Chuvalo lost both fights, Ali called him the toughest guy he ever fought.

From BBC ● Sep. 13, 2026

Family members battled over custody, how children would be raised and who would control the money paid out by insurance policies and victims’ funds.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 10, 2026

The northbound Glendale Freeway was closed briefly for a small brush fire Wednesday afternoon while, to the south, fire crews battled a blaze in Orange County that quickly consumed more than 200 acres.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026

Teams battled rain, rising rivers and treacherous conditions at the disaster sites.

From Barron's ● Aug. 30, 2026

For hours they battled their way westward in a blizzard.

From "Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World" by Jennifer Armstrong

The Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen's Houthis accused the rebels on Wednesday of targeting Islam's holy city Mecca, sparking outrage across the Muslim world and deepening the conflict roiling the region.

From Barron's ● Sep. 16, 2026

As his Bees progressed to the Carabao Cup fourth round with a battling 2-1 win at League One side Reading, Andrews said he was not happy with the officiating.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026

He also wanted to be closer to his father, who was battling cancer.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 11, 2026

The Zvernec residents have already been battling this appropriation of their land in the courts for 20 years, so in many ways, the Kushner development is just the latest twist.

From Slate ● Sep. 8, 2026

When he was halfway down into the shack, Owen paused to take one last look at the battling polar bears.

From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz

Related Words

• action
• assault
• attack
• bloodshed
• bombing
• campaign
• clash
• combat
• conflict
• crusade
• encounter
• fighting
• hostility
• skirmish
• strife
• struggle
• war
• warfare