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definitions

combat

[verb kuhm-bat, kom-bat, kuhm-; noun kom-bat, kuhm-]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR combat ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), com·bat·ed, com·bat·ing or (especially British) com·bat·ted, com·bat·ting.

to fight or contend against; oppose vigorously: to combat crime.

verb (used without object), com·bat·ed, com·bat·ing or (especially British) com·bat·ted, com·bat·ting.

to battle; contend: to combat with disease.

noun

Military. active, armed fighting with enemy forces.
a fight, struggle, or controversy, as between two persons, teams, or ideas.

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RELATED WORDS

withstand, cope, fight, resist, repel, oppose, contend, buck, duel, engage, clash, contest, defy, traverse, struggle, battle, strive, war, dispute

Origin of combat

1535–45; < Middle French combat (noun), combattre (v.) < Late Latin combattere, equivalent to Latin com- com- + Late Latin battere, for Latin battuere to strike, beat
Related formscom·bat·a·ble, adjectivein·ter·com·bat, nounpre·com·bat, noun, verb, pre·com·bat·ed, pre·com·bat·ing or (especially British) pre·com·bat·ted, pre·com·bat·ting.self-com·bat·ing, adjectiveun·com·bat·a·ble, adjectiveun·com·bat·ed, adjective

Synonyms for combat

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR combat ON THESAURUS.COM
1, 2. struggle, contest.

Synonym study

3. See fight
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for combating

Contemporary Examples of combating

Historical Examples of combating

  • Plato saw the necessity of combating the illogical logic of the Megarians and Eristics.

  • I ignored it, and went on combating what I assumed to be the scruples of an exaggerated delicacy.

    Lord Jim

    Joseph Conrad

  • His strength was beyond any hope of combating it with her small strength.

    Rim o' the World

    B. M. Bower

  • We watch him, admiring his ferocious aspect, combating with death.

    The Western World

    W.H.G. Kingston

  • Dante compelled himself to speak bravely, combating her alarms.

    The God of Love

    Justin Huntly McCarthy

British Dictionary definitions for combating

combat

noun (ˈkɒmbæt, -bət, ˈkʌm-)

a fight, conflict, or struggle
  1. an action fought between two military forces
  2. (as modifier)a combat jacket
single combat a fight between two individuals; duel
close combat or hand-to-hand combat fighting at close quarters

verb (kəmˈbæt, ˈkɒmbæt, ˈkʌm-) -bats, -bating or -bated

(tr) to fight or defy
(intr; often foll by with or against) to struggle or strive (against); be in conflict (with)to combat against disease
Derived Formscombatable, adjectivecombater, noun

Word Origin for combat

C16: from French, from Old French combattre, from Vulgar Latin combattere (unattested), from Latin com- with + battuere to beat, hit
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for combating

combat

v.

1560s, from Middle French combat (16c.), from Old French combattre (12c.), from Late Latin combattere, from Latin com- "with" (each other) (see com-) + battuere "to beat, fight" (see batter (v.)). Related: Combated; combating; combatted; combatting.

combat

n.

1560s, from Middle French combat (16c.), from combattre (see combat (v.)).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper