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.
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.
a fight between large armed forces; military or naval engagement; combat
conflict; contention; struggle
his battle for recognition
to start fighting
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, 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.
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
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English batailen, from Middle French bataillier “to provide with batailles; see battlement
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.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Los Angeles is one of many cities across the nation fighting an epic battle to solve a multibillion-dollar problem buried underground.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
In 1867, an 8-year-old girl named Elizabeth Turner became the epicenter of a legal battle that would help define what freedom really meant after the Civil War.
From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2026
The battle over Warner Bros. began last year, when media giants Netflix and Paramount went to war over the famed movie studio and its prized back catalog.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
French President Emmanuel Macron said his country was seeking reinforcements from across the continent to help battle the blaze, including Canadair aircraft from Croatia and Black Hawk helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Fin-Kedinn met the old woman’s eyes, and for a moment there seemed to be a battle of wills between them.
From "Wolf Brother" by Michelle Paver
President Woodrow Wilson was re-elected the year that pipe was laid, and the Germans attacked the French in the World War I Battle of Verdun, with the death toll topping 700,000.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
The DCG "gradually became less active as security assistance to Pakistan dwindled", said Shuja Nawaz, Atlantic Council fellow and author of "The Battle for Pakistan: The Bitter US Friendship and a Tough Neighbourhood".
From Barron's ● Jul. 17, 2026
Regina Hall, 55, is an actress known for the films “Scary Movie” and four of its sequels, “Support the Girls” and “One Battle After Another.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
The event memorialises the Protestant King William III's victory over the Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in July 1690.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
The Battle of the Bulge ended about the middle of January, with the newspapers reporting seventy-seven thousand Allied casualties and one hundred twenty thousand German casualties.
From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok
After the labor battles of the Vietnam War era, Valdez took El Teatro Campesino’s mission nationwide.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
Around 12,000 people have been evacuated from the south-west of France as the country battles ongoing wildfires days after two firefighters died near Bordeaux airport, French media reported.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
The 60-year-old general had come under criticism for the costly defense of Bakhmut, one of the bloodiest battles of the war.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
Keegan's death aged 75 was announced on Monday and Ferguson, recalling their managerial battles, praised the former Newcastle United manager for the impact he made with the Tyneside club.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
So it must have rubbed him the wrong way to see Elizebeth winning battles against smugglers and gangsters in the 1920s and 1930s.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
Craig Bowe, 42, battled the incoming tide at West Mersea, near Colchester, three times after hearing screams on Wednesday evening.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
They have battled over the split in the courts since 2022, after Chey filed for divorce in 2017 and mediation broke down.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
In my case, I battled the weeds in my lawn for years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
There was a lull in the South Africa scoring as Wales battled to hang on and the hosts proved unusually wasteful in the tourists' 22.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
The Quaker William Allen, who had sworn off sugar for nearly fifty years while he battled against slavery, drank his first cup of tea with a spoonful of white, free sugar.
From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson
All the drivers were battling with a Hungaroring track surface that was breaking up, especially in the final two corners, where Norris said it was especially difficult to judge the grip level.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
“Jon Bon Jovi spoke from stage and told fans he has been battling a sinus infection, which led to the show’s early ending,” the statement continued.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
The major fires have been burning for two or three days, with many hundreds of firefighters battling them around the clock, to the point of exhaustion.
From Barron's ● Jul. 25, 2026
In Madrid the fires are in the wider region far outside the city centre - and authorities are battling to stop different fires merging.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
Percy felt exactly like he had at twelve years old, battling Ares on that beach in Los Angeles, when the shadow of the Titan lord had first passed over him.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
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.
