pitched battle
Americannoun
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a battle in which the orderly arrangement of armed forces and the location have been predetermined.
-
an encounter in which the antagonists are completely and intensely engaged.
The dispute evolved into a pitched battle between management and labor.
noun
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a battle ensuing from the deliberate choice of time and place, engaging all the planned resources
-
any fierce encounter, esp one with large numbers
Etymology
Origin of pitched battle
First recorded in 1600–10
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.
Colbert’s monologue could open the door for an even more pitched battle.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 17, 2026
But Musk’s crew was then locked in a pitched battle for control of USIP.
From Salon • Aug. 24, 2025
It has been described as the last pitched battle to be fought on British soil.
From BBC • Apr. 6, 2025
That is more reminiscent of a pitched battle in 1984 that pitted some of the most powerful Senate Republicans against one another in a storied showdown to win the top job.
From New York Times • Mar. 28, 2024
Ministry wizards were flooding onto the field to separate the veela and the leprechauns, but with little success; meanwhile, the pitched battle below was nothing to the one taking place above.
From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling
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.
