single combat

American  

noun

1. combat between two persons.

---

Etymology

Origin of single combat

First recorded in 1600–10

Example Sentences

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

Project Convergence reflects the need to rapidly merge a variety of assets — both in the air and on the ground — into a single combat element, the focus of the new training regime.

From Washington Times • Oct. 26, 2020

While it’s fun to harp on individual matchups, bouts of single combat rarely tell the whole story.

From Slate • Mar. 23, 2019

At the time, no one realized that the space race was single combat revived in a slightly, but only slightly, new form.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 9, 2016

Swordsfolk go toe-to-toe against one another in single combat, fighting for the honor of impressing the High King and his Court.

From "The Cruel Prince" by Holly Black

Related Words

• bout
• shootout