embattle
1 Americanverb (used with object)
-
to arrange in order of battle; prepare for battle; arm.
-
to fortify (a town, camp, etc.).
verb (used with object)
verb
-
to deploy (troops) for battle
-
to strengthen or fortify (a position, town, etc)
-
to provide (a building) with battlements
Etymology
Origin of embattle1
1350–1400; Middle English embatailen < Middle French embataillier. See em- 1, battle 1
Origin of embattle2
First recorded in 1350–1400, embattle is from the Middle English word embatailen. See em- 1, battle 2
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.
Those raids have further threatened a health care system in the embattle territory that is struggling to cope with the fallout from the war.
From Seattle Times • Jan. 30, 2024
Hunting out two aggressive spiders, he would embattle them and watch with glee through a magnifying glass.
From Time Magazine Archive
He pursued his way over the craigs; through the valley, and across the river, to the cliffs which embattle the garden of Ellerslie.
From The Scottish Chiefs by Porter, Jane
And Douglas found the forces that were to embattle him drawing up in line.
From Children of the Market Place by Masters, Edgar Lee
They were razed by commission, or by writs to the sheriffs; and a law was further enacted that “none hereafter, without license, should embattle his house.”
From Amenities of Literature Consisting of Sketches and Characters of English Literature by Disraeli, Isaac
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.
