combat

[ verb kuhm-bat, kom-bat, kuhm-; noun kom-bat, kuhm- ]
/ verb kəmˈbæt, ˈkɒm bæt, ˈkʌm-; noun ˈkɒm bæt, ˈkʌm- /
SEE 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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compact
joined or packed together; closely and firmly united; dense; solid.
ready or inclined to fight.
not participating actively.
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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

synonym study for combat

3. See fight

OTHER WORDS FROM combat

Words nearby combat

comb-footed spider, comb-out, comb-over, comb., combahee, combat, combat boot, combat fatigue, combat infantryman badge, combat neurosis, combat team
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to combating

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

Example sentences from the Web for combating

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 forms of combat

combatable, 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