combat

[verb kuhm-bat, kom-bat, kuhm-; noun kom-bat, kuhm-]

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.

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

1, 2. struggle, contest.

Synonym study

3. See fight

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for combatting

Contemporary Examples

Combatting the illegal drug trade within the Air Force is largely up to OSI.
Spies, Lies, and Rape in the Air Force: An Undercover Agent's Story
Jacob Siegel
March 4, 2014
Victims were treated with atropine, which was somewhat successful in combatting the symptoms.
Obama Administration Stiffs Chemical Survivors on New Claim
Josh Rogin, Noah Shachtman
February 20, 2014
Instead he has emphasized core elements of the social gospel like combatting poverty and ministering to the sick and downtrodden.
Pope Francis’s Lessons for the GOP
John Avlon
July 28, 2013
And it could prove to be Israel's most effective weapon in combatting hate.
No, Most Palestinians Aren't Anti-Semites
Maysoon Zayid
May 9, 2013
So a whole lot of us are engaged in combatting those judgements . . . with cash.
Why Don't Americans Save?
Megan McArdle
March 13, 2013

Historical Examples

Here we behold Malthusianism as a new weapon for combatting Socialism.
Woman and Socialism
August Bebel
I may wish that I had your spirit and energy and power of combatting; but I have not.
Barchester Towers
Anthony Trollope
As far as he could, he made himself over—recognizing and combatting his weaknesses with heroic courage.
Edgar Saltus: The Man
Marie Saltus
They must know about fortifications—anti-aircraft guns—means for combatting aerial attack.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, December 1930
Various
A feeling of revulsion swept over her, combatting the first natural, womanly pride in the deed of a brave man.
The Man From Brodney's
George Barr McCutcheon

British Dictionary definitions for combatting

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

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 combatting

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.)).

combat

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Synonyms

Synonym study

Related Words

Examples from the Web for combatting

Contemporary Examples

Combatting the illegal drug trade within the Air Force is largely up to OSI.

Victims were treated with atropine, which was somewhat successful in combatting the symptoms.

Instead he has emphasized core elements of the social gospel like combatting poverty and ministering to the sick and downtrodden.

And it could prove to be Israel's most effective weapon in combatting hate.

So a whole lot of us are engaged in combatting those judgements . . . with cash.

Historical Examples

Here we behold Malthusianism as a new weapon for combatting Socialism.

I may wish that I had your spirit and energy and power of combatting; but I have not.

As far as he could, he made himself over—recognizing and combatting his weaknesses with heroic courage.

They must know about fortifications—anti-aircraft guns—means for combatting aerial attack.

A feeling of revulsion swept over her, combatting the first natural, womanly pride in the deed of a brave man.

combat

Word Origin

Word Origin and History for combatting

combat

v.

combat

n.

Origin of combat