Battle
WordNet

noun


(1)   An energetic attempt to achieve something
"Getting through the crowd was a real struggle"
"He fought a battle for recognition"
(2)   A hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
"Grant won a decisive victory in the battle of Chickamauga"
"He lost his romantic ideas about war when he got into a real engagement"
(3)   An open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals)
"The harder the conflict the more glorious the triumph"--Thomas Paine
"Police tried to control the battle between the pro- and anti-abortion mobs"

verb


(4)   Battle or contend against in or as if in a battle
"The Kurds are combating Iraqi troops in Northern Iraq"
"We must combat the prejudices against other races"
"They battled over the budget"
WiktionaryText

Etymology


From from , from , from .

Noun



  1. A general action, fight, or encounter, in which all the divisions of an army are or may be engaged; an engagement; a combat.
  2. A struggle; a contest; as, the battle of life.
    The whole intellectual battle that had at its center the best poem of the best poet of that day. - Henry Morley.
  3. A division of an army; a battalion.
    • 1485, Sir Thomas Malory, Le Morte Darthur, Book II:
      Thenne kyng Arthur made redy his hoost in x batails [...].
    The king divided his army into three battles. - Francis Bacon.
    The cavalry, by way of distinction, was called the battle, and on it alone depended the fate of every action. - William Robertson.
  4. The main body, as distinct from the van and rear; battalia.

Usage notes

  • Battle can be used as the first part of a self-explaining compound; as, battle brand, a ``brand or sword used in battle; battle cry; battlefield; battle ground; battlearray; battle song.
  • Battle, combat, fight, engagement: These words agree in denoting a close encounter between contending parties. Fight is a word of less dignity than the others. Except in poetry, it is more naturally applied to the encounter of a few individuals, and more commonly an accidental one; as, a street fight. A combat is a close encounter, whether between few or many, and is usually premeditated. A battle is commonly more general and prolonged. An engagement supposes large numbers on each side, engaged or intermingled in the conflict.
    (material dates from 1913)


Verb



  1. : To join in battle; to contend in fight; as, to battle over theories.
  2. : To assail in battle; to fight.
 
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