51Թ

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View synonyms for

battle

1

[ bat-l ]

noun

  1. a hostile encounter or engagement between opposing military forces:

    the battle of Waterloo.

    Synonyms: , ,

  2. participation in such hostile encounters or engagements:

    wounds received in battle.

    Synonyms: ,

  3. a fight between two persons or animals:

    ordering a trial by battle to settle the dispute.

  4. any conflict or struggle:

    a battle for control of the Senate.

  5. Archaic. a battalion.


verb (used without object)

battled, battling.
  1. to engage in battle:

    ready to battle with the enemy.

  2. to work very hard or struggle; strive:

    to battle for freedom.

    Synonyms:

verb (used with object)

battled, battling.
  1. to fight (a person, army, cause, etc.):

    We battled strong winds and heavy rains in our small boat.

  2. to force or accomplish by fighting, struggling, etc.:

    He battled his way to the top of his profession.

battle

2

[ bat-l ]

verb (used with object)

Archaic.
battled, battling.
  1. to furnish (a building or wall) with battlements; crenelate.

battle

1

/ ˈæə /

noun

  1. a fight between large armed forces; military or naval engagement; combat
  2. conflict; contention; struggle

    his battle for recognition

  3. do battle or give battle or join battle
    to start fighting
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. whenintr, often foll by against, for, or with to fight in or as if in military combat; contend (with)

    she battled against cancer

  2. to struggle in order to achieve something or arrive somewhere

    he battled through the crowd

  3. intr to scrape a living, esp by doing odd jobs
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Battle

2

/ ˈæə /

noun

  1. a town in SE England, in East Sussex: site of the Battle of Hastings (1066); medieval abbey. Pop: 5190 (2001)
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Battle

3

/ ˈæə /

noun

  1. BattleKathleen1948FUSMUSIC: coloratura soprano Kathleen . born 1948, US opera singer: a coloratura soprano, she made her professional debut in 1972 and sang with New York City's Metropolitan Opera (1977–94)
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Derived Forms

  • ˈٳٱ, noun
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Other 51Թ Forms

  • t noun
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of battle1

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English batail(le), batal, from Old French bataille, from Vulgar Latin ٳ (unrecorded) for Late Latin ٳٳ (neuter plural) “gladiatorial exercises,” equivalent to battu(ere) “to strike” + -, neuter plural of - adjective suffix; -al 2, bate 2

Origin of battle2

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English batailen, from Middle French bataillier “to provide with batailles; battlement
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51Թ History and Origins

Origin of battle1

C13: from Old French bataile , from Late Latin ٳ exercises performed by soldiers, from battuere to beat
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Idioms and Phrases

  1. give / do battle, to enter into conflict; fight:

    He was ready to do battle for his beliefs.

More idioms and phrases containing battle

see half the battle ; losing battle ; pitched battle .
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Synonym Study

Battle, action, skirmish mean a conflict between organized armed forces. A battle is a prolonged and general conflict pursued to a definite decision: the Battle of the Bulge in World War II. A skirmish is a slight engagement, often on the periphery of an area of battle: several minor skirmishes. An action can be a battle or a skirmish or can refer to actual fighting or combat: a major military action; action along the border; He saw action in the campaign.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

The UK's first federation-approved puzzling championships took place on Saturday, with competitors from across the globe battling to complete 500-piece puzzles as quickly as possible.

From

Helicopters were deployed to help battle back the flames while police warned the blaze could spread to the Loch Doon area of East Ayrshire.

From

But McLaren did not interfere in their battle and the drivers crossed the line in the order they had held all race, separated by just 2.2 seconds.

From

The goal by Rodman, who has battled a back injury for the last seven months, was her first for the U.S. since the Olympic quarterfinals.

From

That means if the love of your life died in battle, the government would not even have to notify you.

From

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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.

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