combat
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
noun
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Military. active, armed fighting with enemy forces.
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a fight, struggle, or controversy, as between two persons, teams, or ideas.
noun
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a fight, conflict, or struggle
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an action fought between two military forces
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( as modifier )
a combat jacket
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a fight between two individuals; duel
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fighting at close quarters
verb
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(tr) to fight or defy
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(intr; often foll by with or against) to struggle or strive (against); be in conflict (with)
to combat against disease
Usage
What does combat mean? Combat is most commonly used in a military context to refer to active fighting among opposing armies. To engage in combat is to engage in fighting. This kind of combat most commonly takes place on a battlefield or warzone on the ground (called a combat zone). Aerial combat involves fighting in the air among air forces. Hand-to-hand combat involves close fighting, often literally with one’s hands. Combat is often used as a modifier (adjective) in terms that refer to things related to or involving combat, such as combat training, combat medic, combat fatigue, and combat boots. Combat is sometimes used more broadly or figuratively to refer to active conflict between two people or groups, as in The two corporations are preparing to do combat in the courtroom. The term verbal combat refers to fighting with words. Combat is also commonly used as a verb meaning to oppose or work to defeat. It’s especially used when the thing to be defeated is intangible or abstract, as in We need to combat climate change or Our organization works to combat poverty. The figurative senses of the verbs fight and battle are close synonyms of this sense of combat. The sides engaging in combat can be called combatants. The adjective combative means inclined to fight. Example: The objective of basic training is to prepare our soldiers for combat.
Synonym Usage
See fight
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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combaternoun
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intercombatnoun
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precombatnoun
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combatableadjective
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self-combatingadjective
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uncombatableadjective
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uncombatedadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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combatsimple
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combatssimple
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have combatedperfect
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have combattedperfect
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has combatedperfect
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has combattedperfect
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am combatingprogressive
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am combattingprogressive
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are combatingprogressive
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are combattingprogressive
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is combatingprogressive
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is combattingprogressive
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have been combatingperfect progressive
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have been combattingperfect progressive
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has been combatingperfect progressive
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has been combattingperfect progressive
Past
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combatedsimple
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combattedsimple
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had combatedperfect
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had combattedperfect
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was combatingprogressive
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was combattingprogressive
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were combatingprogressive
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were combattingprogressive
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had been combatingperfect progressive
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had been combattingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of combat
First recorded in 1535–45; from Middle French combat (noun), combattre (verb), from Late Latin combattere, from Latin com- com- + Late Latin battere, from Latin battuere “to strike, beat”
Explanation
Combat is fighting between two groups of armed forces. When you engage in combat, typically this means you engage in fighting that involves weapons. Combat comes from the Latin com- meaning "together with" and battere meaning "to fight." Combat can be used as a modifier; for example, a combat zone is an area where fighting is taking place. The word combat can also be used to refer to the action of fighting against something to prevent it. An after-school program for kids is working to combat the issue of street violence by creating a safe space where kids can go as an alternative.
Vocabulary lists containing combat
Vocabulary from the Introduction to "Reality is Broken" by Jane McGonigal
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Memorial Day: Words of Respect and Remembrance
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Beowulf vocabulary
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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.
See Examples For:
At this point in the story, Edward the Confessor is still King and William and Harold are not yet locked in combat.
From BBC ● Jul. 17, 2026
Women have been serving for decades now, including in front line roles, even if they were only legally recognized as combat soldiers in 2013.
From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026
Hamawy is a former Army combat surgeon who served in Iraq.
From Slate ● Jul. 14, 2026
Mr. Risen, a journalist who has written several books on American history, balances political and social analysis with gripping accounts of combat and a nuanced portrait of Roosevelt.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026
One of these wrecks was the Confederate Civil War vessel the H. L. Hunley, the first submarine to sink an enemy vessel in combat.
From "Shipwrecked!" by Martin W. Sandler
Of the distinct combats that historians have identified, more than 90% were not primarily fought by formally organized regular troops but instead involved district militias and other irregulars, including Native American warriors.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
Even as her unsinkable, emotionally complicated boss combats Ava’s efforts to elevate the show at every turn, Ava’s maturation stands out.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2025
The IDF did not respond to BBC requests for comment on how it combats organised looting and smuggling.
From BBC ● Nov. 25, 2024
The proteins' interaction, or pathway, is a well-known target for treating many conditions because Keap1 essentially controls when Nrf2 responds to -- and combats -- oxidative stress.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 25, 2024
She combats this by trying her hardest never to get her hopes up, and urging everyone else to do the same.
From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon
Google has also combated the idea that AI will kill its Search business by developing AI Overviews and AI Search.
From MarketWatch ● Dec. 12, 2025
"We've always combated those views, and we've always worked with young people - and that's the same for racist views and homophobic views," he says.
From BBC ● Apr. 9, 2025
The Times reported that numerous fire hydrants in higher-elevation streets of the Palisades went dry, leaving crews struggling with low water pressure as they combated the flames.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 11, 2025
Meanwhile, piggery managers combated mosquitoes by mowing grass, applying insecticides, removing standing water, and repairing window screens in offices and lunch rooms.
From Science Magazine ● Nov. 21, 2023
I combated him with health class facts and my father’s numbers.
From "Please Ignore Vera Dietz" by A.S. King
The freight company has combatted a weak shipping economy by controlling costs.
From Barron's ● Oct. 31, 2025
If you find an egg mass on a tree that you can scrape off, you’re making a bigger impact, but realistically the only way the infestation can be combatted is on an industrial scale.
From Slate ● Aug. 25, 2022
They pose a threat that must be taken very seriously and actively combatted.
From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2021
Blinken said in a message sent to all department employees that the vandalism is a painful reminder that antisemitism remains an issue in the U.S. and around the world and must be combatted relentlessly.
From Seattle Times ● Jul. 27, 2021
I combatted that idea with all my might, at the same time refusing to be drawn into a discussion which might have degenerated into a dispute.
From Autobiographical Reminiscences with Family Letters and Notes on Music by Gounod, Charles
What does it mean for Europe if the country that set the modern standard for combating antisemitism across the continent chooses to move on at a time of rising Jew-hatred?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
By increasing fat burning while simultaneously limiting the formation of new fat cells, targeting Mitch could eventually provide researchers with a new strategy for combating obesity.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 3, 2026
He has said that he wants Colombia to join the "Shield of the Americas", an alliance of Latin Americans countries and the US aimed at combating cartels.
From BBC ● Jun. 23, 2026
Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Jaime Moore said fire crews made significant progress in combating the blaze and that if progress continues at this rate, it should be out by week’s end.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 21, 2026
Marigolds are now used in many places for combating nematodes.
From "Silent Spring" by Rachel Carson
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu chaired a ministerial meeting on Thursday afternoon to develop a readiness plan for extreme heat events, including combatting forest fires and ensuring adequate water supplies over the summer.
From BBC ● May 28, 2026
The official said the Syrian government has agreed to take the lead combatting terrorism within its borders and US military presence "at scale" is no longer required.
From BBC ● Feb. 18, 2026
They also agree to cooperate on demining efforts and combatting cybercrime.
From Barron's ● Dec. 27, 2025
The United States has for months been building a major military deployment in the Caribbean with the stated goal of combatting Latin American drug trafficking.
From Barron's ● Dec. 17, 2025
She claimed to be an expert in combatting cold weather and in avoiding head colds.
From "Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey
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.
