single combat
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of single combat
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.
The single combat involves swinging a conker -- a hardened horse chestnut -- on a string at your opponent's nut with murderous venom, until one is smashed to pieces.
From Barron's • Oct. 17, 2025
The Leopold was the first destroyer-escort lost in WWII, and it was the worst loss of life in a single combat action in Coast Guard history.
From Washington Times • Nov. 15, 2020
While it’s fun to harp on individual matchups, bouts of single combat rarely tell the whole story.
From Slate • Mar. 23, 2019
The most famous tale of single combat is the Old Testament story of David and Goliath.
From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 9, 2016
"I have twenty thousand men. You are besieged by land and sea. Why would I choose single combat when my eventual victory is certain?"
From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin
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.
