battle

1
[ bat-l ]
/ ˈbæt l /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR battle ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

verb (used without object), bat·tled, bat·tling.

to engage in battle: ready to battle with the enemy.
to work very hard or struggle; strive: to battle for freedom.

verb (used with object), bat·tled, bat·tling.

to fight (a person, army, cause, etc.): We battled strong winds and heavy rains in our small boat.
to force or accomplish by fighting, struggling, etc.: He battled his way to the top of his profession.

Idioms for battle

    give/do battle, to enter into conflict; fight: He was ready to do battle for his beliefs.

Origin of battle

1
1250–1300; Middle English bataile < Old French < Vulgar Latin *battālia for Late Latin battuālia (neuter plural) gladiatorial exercises, equivalent to battu(ere) to strike (see bate2) + -ālia, neuter plural of -ālis -al2

synonym study for battle

1. 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.

OTHER WORDS FROM battle

bat·tler, noun

Words nearby battle

battik, batting, batting average, batting eye, batting order, battle, battle clasp, battle creek, battle cruiser, battle cry, battle dress

Definition for battle (2 of 2)

battle 2
[ bat-l ]
/ ˈbæt l /

verb (used with object), bat·tled, bat·tling. Archaic.

to furnish (a building or wall) with battlements; crenelate.

Origin of battle

2
1300–50; Middle English batailen < Middle French bataillier to provide with batailles. See battlement

Words related to battle

bloodshed, campaign, clash, combat, hostility, encounter, assault, fighting, strife, crusade, action, attack, struggle, skirmish, war, conflict, warfare, contest, disagreement, controversy

Example sentences from the Web for battle

British Dictionary definitions for battle (1 of 3)

battle
/ (ˈbætəl) /

noun

a fight between large armed forces; military or naval engagement; combat
conflict; contention; struggle his battle for recognition
do battle, give battle or join battle to start fighting

verb

(when intr , often foll by against, for, or with) to fight in or as if in military combat; contend (with) she battled against cancer
to struggle in order to achieve something or arrive somewhere he battled through the crowd
(intr) Australian to scrape a living, esp by doing odd jobs

Derived forms of battle

battler, noun

Word Origin for battle

C13: from Old French bataile, from Late Latin battālia exercises performed by soldiers, from battuere to beat

British Dictionary definitions for battle (2 of 3)

Battle 1
/ (ˈbætəl) /

noun

a town in SE England, in East Sussex: site of the Battle of Hastings (1066); medieval abbey. Pop: 5190 (2001)

British Dictionary definitions for battle (3 of 3)

Battle 2
/ (ˈbætəl) /

noun

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)

Idioms and Phrases with battle

battle

see half the battle; losing battle; pitched battle.