noun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of battlefield
Explanation
A place where fighting happens, especially during a war, can be called a battlefield. If you visit Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, you'll see a famous Civil War battlefield. There are many Civil War battlefields in the southern United States, and New England is the site of several Revolutionary War battlefields. While the physical land where a battle is fought is the most common kind of battlefield, there are also figurative battlefields, like a classroom in which competing ideas are angrily hashed out. The equivalent word in Old English is wælstow, or "slaughter-place."
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:
Yet meaningful, comprehensive control of AI both on the battlefield and off has languished, largely because trust between governments and understanding of the technology and its risks is lacking, Russell said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 27, 2026
It will provide Britain with battlefield data and insights to train its own artificial intelligence models, Downing Street said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
When I ask about killing their fellow countrymen on the battlefield, Sergei calls the question "provocative" and does not want to answer.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
Having genuine conversation can change people’s minds, but you also have to remember the battlefield we’re on right now.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2026
A deep war cry bellowed from somewhere above, echoing across the plains of Tartarus, and a Titan dropped onto the battlefield.
From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan
Its troops have also gained crucial experience on modern battlefields.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
Its soldiers are also gaining experience of modern-day battlefields.
From Barron's ● Aug. 10, 2026
Rye Barcott, the author of “Courage Can Save US,” on true stories of self-sacrifice from battlefields at home and abroad.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Hydration breaks, all right—from battlefields to soccer fields.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
The British could win a decisive victory, he believed, by opening a new offensive in Belgian Flanders over the old battlefields around the ruined town of Ypres.
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
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.
