Dictionary.com
definitions

combat

[ verb kuhm-bat, kom-bat, kuhm-; noun kom-bat, kuhm- ]
/ verb kəmˈbæt, ˈkɒm bæt, ˈkʌm-; noun ˈkɒm bæt, ˈkʌm- /
||

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.

RELATED CONTENT

Exercise Caution With These Telltale IdiomsThe following idioms are helpful reminders to assess your circumstances and decide when to make a change.
READ MORE
Marshal vs. MartialWhile the words are pronounced the same, they do have different meanings. Martial is an adjective that describes things related to war. A marshal is a police or military officer. Martial can only be used as an adjective, but marshal can be used as either a noun or a verb, but not an adjective. “But what about marshall?” you ask? We’ll get to that in …
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

warfare, contest, fray, engagement, encounter, fight, action, struggle, skirmish, war, conflict, shoot-out, withstand, cope, resist, repel, oppose, jackpot, flap, service

Nearby words

  1. comb-footed spider,
  2. comb-out,
  3. comb-over,
  4. comb.,
  5. combahee,
  6. combat boot,
  7. combat fatigue,
  8. combat infantryman badge,
  9. combat neurosis,
  10. combat team

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
SYNONYMS FOR combat
1, 2. struggle, contest.
Related forms

Synonym study

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

Examples from the Web for combatting

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 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