battle

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bat·tle

 (băt′l)
n.
1.
a. An encounter between opposing forces: an important battle in the Pacific campaign.
b. Armed fighting; combat: wounded in battle.
2. A match between two combatants: trial by battle.
3.
a. A protracted controversy or struggle: won the battle of the budget.
b. An intense competition: a battle of wits.
v. bat·tled, bat·tling, bat·tles
v.intr.
To engage in or as if in battle.
v.tr.
To fight against: battled the enemy; battled cancer.

[Middle English batel, from Old French bataille, from Vulgar Latin *battālia, from Late Latin battuālia, fighting and fencing exercises, from Latin battuere, to beat.]

bat′tler n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

battle

(ˈbætəl)
n
1. (Military) a fight between large armed forces; military or naval engagement; combat
2. conflict; contention; struggle: his battle for recognition.
3. (Military) do battle give battle join battle to start fighting
vb
4. (when: intr, often foll by against, for, or with) to fight in or as if in military combat; contend (with): she battled against cancer.
5. to struggle in order to achieve something or arrive somewhere: he battled through the crowd.
6. (intr) Austral to scrape a living, esp by doing odd jobs
[C13: from Old French bataile, from Late Latin battālia exercises performed by soldiers, from battuere to beat]
ˈbattler n

Battle

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

Battle

(ˈbætəl)
n
(Biography) 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 and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

bat•tle

(ˈbæt l)

n., v. -tled, -tling. n.
1. a hostile encounter between opposing military forces.
2. participation in such an encounter or encounters: wounds received in battle.
3. any fight, conflict, or struggle, as between two persons or teams.
4. Archaic. a battalion.
v.i.
5. to engage in battle.
6. to struggle; strive.
v.t.
7. to fight (a person, army, cause, etc.).
8. to force or accomplish by fighting, struggling, etc.
Idioms:
give or do battle, to engage in conflict; fight.
[1250–1300; Middle English bataile < Old French < Vulgar Latin *battālia, for Late Latin battuālia gladiatorial exercises, derivative of battu(ere) to strike]
bat′tler, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

battle


Past participle: battled
Gerund: battling

Imperative
battle
battle
Present
I battle
you battle
he/she/it battles
we battle
you battle
they battle
Preterite
I battled
you battled
he/she/it battled
we battled
you battled
they battled
Present Continuous
I am battling
you are battling
he/she/it is battling
we are battling
you are battling
they are battling
Present Perfect
I have battled
you have battled
he/she/it has battled
we have battled
you have battled
they have battled
Past Continuous
I was battling
you were battling
he/she/it was battling
we were battling
you were battling
they were battling
Past Perfect
I had battled
you had battled
he/she/it had battled
we had battled
you had battled
they had battled
Future
I will battle
you will battle
he/she/it will battle
we will battle
you will battle
they will battle
Future Perfect
I will have battled
you will have battled
he/she/it will have battled
we will have battled
you will have battled
they will have battled
Future Continuous
I will be battling
you will be battling
he/she/it will be battling
we will be battling
you will be battling
they will be battling
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been battling
you have been battling
he/she/it has been battling
we have been battling
you have been battling
they have been battling
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been battling
you will have been battling
he/she/it will have been battling
we will have been battling
you will have been battling
they will have been battling
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been battling
you had been battling
he/she/it had been battling
we had been battling
you had been battling
they had been battling
Conditional
I would battle
you would battle
he/she/it would battle
we would battle
you would battle
they would battle
Past Conditional
I would have battled
you would have battled
he/she/it would have battled
we would have battled
you would have battled
they would have battled
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Noun1.battle - a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a warbattle - 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"
military action, action - a military engagement; "he saw action in Korea"
Armageddon - any catastrophically destructive battle; "they called the first World War an Armageddon"
pitched battle - a fierce battle fought in close combat between troops in predetermined positions at a chosen time and place
naval battle - a pitched battle between naval fleets
armed combat, combat - an engagement fought between two military forces
war, warfare - the waging of armed conflict against an enemy; "thousands of people were killed in the war"
dogfight - an aerial engagement between fighter planes
assault - close fighting during the culmination of a military attack
armed forces, armed services, military, military machine, war machine - the military forces of a nation; "their military is the largest in the region"; "the military machine is the same one we faced in 1991 but now it is weaker"
2.battle - an energetic attempt to achieve somethingbattle - an energetic attempt to achieve something; "getting through the crowd was a real struggle"; "he fought a battle for recognition"
attempt, effort, try, endeavor, endeavour - earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something; "made an effort to cover all the reading material"; "wished him luck in his endeavor"; "she gave it a good try"
duel - any struggle between two skillful opponents (individuals or groups)
scramble, scuffle - an unceremonious and disorganized struggle
joust, tilt - a combat between two mounted knights tilting against each other with blunted lances
3.battle - an open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals)battle - 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"
class struggle, class war, class warfare - conflict between social or economic classes (especially between the capitalist and proletariat classes)
insurrection, revolt, uprising, rising, rebellion - organized opposition to authority; a conflict in which one faction tries to wrest control from another
counterinsurgency, pacification - actions taken by a government to defeat insurgency
group action - action taken by a group of people
strife - bitter conflict; heated often violent dissension
tug-of-war - any hard struggle between equally matched groups
turf war - a bitter struggle for territory or power or control or rights; "a turf war erupted between street gangs"; "the president's resignation was the result of a turf war with the board of directors"
fighting, combat, fight, scrap - the act of fighting; any contest or struggle; "a fight broke out at the hockey game"; "there was fighting in the streets"; "the unhappy couple got into a terrible scrap"
feud - a bitter quarrel between two parties
warfare, war - an active struggle between competing entities; "a price war"; "a war of wits"; "diplomatic warfare"
Verb1.battle - battle or contend against in or as if in a battlebattle - 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"
fight, struggle, contend - be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight; "the tribesmen fought each other"; "Siblings are always fighting"; "Militant groups are contending for control of the country"
dogfight - engage in an aerial battle with another fighter plane
wrestle - combat to overcome an opposing tendency or force; "He wrestled all his life with his feeling of inferiority"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

battle

noun
1. fight, war, attack, action, struggle, conflict, clash, set-to (informal), encounter, combat, scrap (informal), engagement, warfare, fray, duel, skirmish, head-to-head, tussle, scuffle, fracas, scrimmage, sparring match, bagarre (French), melee or mêlée a gun battle between police and drug traffickers
fight accord, peace, agreement, truce, armistice, concord, entente, suspension of hostilities
2. conflict, campaign, struggle, debate, clash, dispute, contest, controversy, disagreement, crusade, strife, head-to-head, agitation a renewed political battle over their attitude to Europe
3. campaign, war, drive, movement, push, struggle the battle against crime
verb
2. struggle, work, fight, labour, strain, strive, go for it (informal), toil, make every effort, go all out (informal), bend over backwards (informal), go for broke (slang), bust a gut (informal), give it your best shot (informal), break your neck (informal), exert yourself, make an all-out effort (informal), work like a Trojan, knock yourself out (informal), do your damnedest (informal), give it your all (informal), rupture yourself (informal) Doctors battled throughout the night to save her life.

Famous battles

Aboukir Bay or Abukir Bay1798 Actium31 B.C. Agincourt1415 Alamo1836 Arnhem1944 Atlantic, Austerlitz1805 Balaklava or Balaclava1854 Bannockburn1314 Barnet1471 Bautzen1813 Belleau Wood1918 Blenheim1704 Borodino1812 Bosworth Field1485 Boyne1690 Britain, Bulge, Bull Run, Bunker Hill, Cannae216 B.C. Crécy1346 Culloden1746 Dien Bien Phu1954 Edgehill1642 El Alamein1942 Falkirk1298; 1746 Flodden1513 Gettysburg1863 Guadalcanal1942-3 Hastings1066 Hohenlinden, Imphal1944 Inkerman1854 Issus333 B.C. Jemappes1792 Jena1806 Killiecrankie1689 Kursk1943 Ladysmith1899-1900 Le Cateau, Leipzig1813 Lepanto1571 Leyte Gulf1944 Little Bighorn1876 Lützen1632 Manassas1861; 1862 Mantinea or Mantineia, Marathon490 B.C. Marengo1800 Marston Moor1644 Missionary Ridge1863 Navarino425 B.C. Omdurman1898 Passchendaele1917 Philippi42 B.C. Plains of Abraham1759 Plassey1757 Plataea479 B.C. Poltava1709 Prestonpans1745 Pydna168 B.C. Quatre Bras1815 Ramillies1706 Roncesvalles778 Sadowa or Sadová1866 Saint-Mihiel1918 Salamis480 B.C. Sedgemoor1685 Sempach1386 Shiloh, Shipka Pass1877-78 Somme1916; 1918 Stalingrad, Stamford Bridge1066 Stirling Bridge, Tannenberg1410; 1914 Tewkesbury1471 Thermopylae480 B.C. Tobruk1941; 1942 Trafalgar1805 Trenton1776 Verdun1916 Vitoria1813 Wagram1809 Waterloo1815 Ypres1914; 1915; 1917; 1918 Zama202 B.C.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

battle

noun
1. A hostile encounter between opposing military forces:
2. A vying with others for victory or supremacy:
verb
To strive in opposition:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
مَعْرَكَةمَعْرَكَـهيُقاتِل، يُحارِب
bitvabojbojovatzápaszápasit
slagkampslåskæmpe
bataloluktilukto
taistelutaistella
bitka
csataütközet
berjastorrusta
いくさたたかい戦い戦闘
전투
proelium
kautiskovakovos laukaskovotilinijinis laivas
cīņacīnītieskauja
bitkabojboriti se
slag
การสู้รบ
cuộc chiến

battle

[ˈbætl]
A. N
1. (Mil) → batalla f
to do battlelibrar batalla (with con) to fight a battleluchar
the battle was fought in 1346la batalla se libró en 1346
to join battle (frm) → trabar batalla
2. (fig) → lucha f (for control of, to control por el control de por controlar) to do battle forluchar por
a battle of willsun duelo de voluntades
a battle of witsun duelo de ingenio
that's half the battle(con eso) ya hay medio camino andado
the battle lines are drawn (fig) → todo está listo para la batalla
to fight a losing battleluchar por una causa perdida
to win the battle but lose the warganar la batalla pero perder la guerra
B. VI
1. (Mil) the two armies battled all daylos dos ejércitos se batieron durante todo el día
2. (fig) → luchar (against, for, to do contra por por hacer) to battle against the windluchar contra el viento
to battle for breathesforzarse por respirar
C. VT (esp US) → luchar contra, librar batalla contra
D. CPD battle array N in battle arrayen formación or en orden de batalla
battle cruiser Ncrucero m de batalla
battle cry N (Mil) → grito m de combate (fig) → lema m, consigna f
battle dress Ntraje m de campaña
battle fatigue N trastorno mental postraumático provocado por el combate militar
battle fleet Nflota f de guerra
battle order N = battle array battle royal Nbatalla f campal
battle zone Nzona f de batalla
battle on VI + ADVseguir luchando
battle out VT + ADV to battle it outenfrentarse
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

battle

[ˈbætəl]
n
(= fight) → bataille f, combat m
the Battle of Hastings → la bataille de Hastings
to die in battle → mourir au combat
it was a battle (fig) (= hard work) → il a fallu se battre
It was a battle, but we managed in the end → Il a fallu se battre, mais on a fini par y arriver.
that's half the battle (fig)c'est déjà bien, c'est à moitié gagné
to fight a losing battle (fig)mener un combat perdu d'avance
it's a losing battle (fig)c'est perdu d'avance
to do battle (lit, fig)se battre
to do battle with sb (lit, fig)se battre contre qn
to lose the battle but win the war (fig)perdre une bataille, mais pas la guerre
to win the battle but lose the war (fig)gagner une bataille mais perdre la guerre battle lines
(fig) (= conflict) → bataille f
a legal battle → une bataille juridique
the battle between the sexes → la guerre des sexes battle of wills, battle of wits
vi
(= fight) → se battre, lutter
to battle with sb → se battre avec qn, se battre contre qn
to battle for sth (= struggle) → se battre pour qch
to battle to do sth (= try hard) → lutter pour faire qch
(= compete) → se disputer
to battle for sth [competitors, rivals] → se disputer qch
to battle it out [contestants] → s'affronterbattle-axe (British) battleaxe [ˈbætəlæks] (British) battle-ax (US) n
(= woman) → virago f
(= weapon) → hache f d'armesbattle bus n (British) (in election campaign)bus m de campagnebattle cruiser battlecruiser [ˈbætəlkruːzər] ncroiseur m cuirassébattle cry battle-cry n
(= rallying cry) → cri m de guerre
(= shout) → cri m de guerrebattle dress ntenue f de campagne, tenue f d'assautbattle fatigue n psychose due au traumatisme de la guerre
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

battle

n (lit)Schlacht f; (fig)Kampf m; to give/offer/refuse battlesich zum Kampf or zur Schlacht stellen/bereit erklären/den Kampf or die Schlacht verweigern; to fight a battleeine Schlacht schlagen (also fig), → einen Kampf führen; I don’t need you to fight my battles for meich kann mich schon alleine durchsetzen; to do battle for somebody/somethingsich für jdn/etw schlagen, sich für jdn/etw einsetzen; to win the battle but lose the war (fig)die Schlacht gewinnen, aber den Krieg verlieren; killed in battle(im Kampf) gefallen; battle of witsMachtkampf m; battle of wordsWortgefecht nt; battle of willsgeistiger Wettstreit; to have a battle of witssich geistig messen; we are fighting the same battlewir ziehen am selben Strang; that’s half the battledamit ist schon viel gewonnen; getting an interview is only half the battledamit, dass man ein Interview bekommt, ist es noch nicht getan; battle of the giantsKampf mder Giganten; battle of the sexesGeschlechterkampf m
visich schlagen; (fig also)kämpfen, streiten; to battle for breathum Atem ringen; to battle through a book etcsich durch ein Buch etc (durch)kämpfen
vt (fig) to battle one’s way through difficulties/four qualifying matchessich (durch Schwierigkeiten)/durch vier Qualifikationsspiele durchschlagen

battle

:
battle-axe, (US) battle-ax
n (= weapon)Streitaxt f; (inf: = woman) → Drachen m (inf)
battle cruiser
nSchlachtkreuzer m
battle cry
nSchlachtruf m

battle

:
battledress
nKampfanzug m
battle fatigue
nKriegsmüdigkeit f
battlefield
nSchlachtfeld nt
battle fleet
nSchlachtflotte f
battleground
nSchlachtfeld nt
battle lines
plKampflinien pl; the battle are drawn (fig)die Fronten sind abgesteckt

battle

:
battle order
nSchlachtordnung f
battle plan
n (lit, fig)Schlachtplan m
battle royal
n (fig: = quarrel) → heftige Auseinandersetzung
battle-scarred
adj (lit) person, countryvom Krieg gezeichnet; (fig) furnitureschwer mitgenommen, ramponiert (inf); (inf) personschwer mitgenommen, angeschlagen
battleship
nKriegs- or Schlachtschiff nt; battles (= game)Schiffeversenken nt
battle song
nKampf- or Kriegslied nt
battle zone
nKriegs- or Kampfgebiet nt
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

battle

[ˈbætl]
1. n (Mil) → battaglia, combattimento (fig) → lotta, battaglia
killed in battle → ucciso in combattimento
I had quite a battle to get permission → ho dovuto lottare per ottenere il permesso
a battle of wits → una gara d'ingegno
that's half the battle (fam) → è già una mezza vittoria
to fight a losing battle (fig) → battersi per una causa persa
2. vi (fig) to battle (for)lottare (per), combattere (per)
he battled to retain his self-control → dovette fare uno sforzo per controllarsi
to battle against the wind → lottare con or contro il vento
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

battle

(ˈbӕtl) noun
a fight between opposing armies or individuals. the last battle of the war.
verb
to fight.
ˈbattlefield noun
the place where a battle is, or was, fought. dead bodies covered the battlefield.
ˈbattleship noun
a heavily armed and armoured warship.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

battle

مَعْرَكَة bitva slag Schlacht μάχη batalla taistelu bataille bitka battaglia 戦闘 전투 veldslag kamp bitwa batalha битва slag การสู้รบ muharebe cuộc chiến 战役
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

battle

n. batalla, lucha;
v. batallar, combatir, luchar.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

battle

n lucha; — against cancer lucha contra el cáncer
English-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in classic literature ?
But Grandfather delayed its momentous history while he touched briefly upon some of the bloody battles, sieges, and onslaughts, the tidings of which kept continually coming to the ears of the old inhabitants of Boston.
But the French general, the famous Marquis de Montcalm, possessed a great genius for war, and had something within him that taught him how battles were to be won.
The early battles of the aerial war were no doubt determined by attempts to realise the old naval maxim, to ascertain the position of the enemy's fleet and to destroy it.
Schemes of action, attempts at collective manoeuvring necessarily went to pieces directly the fight began, just as they did in almost all the early ironclad battles of the previous century.
The bloody battle alluded to in the text, fought and won by King Harold, over his brother the rebellious Tosti, and an auxiliary force of Danes or Norsemen, was said, in the text, and a corresponding note, to have taken place at Stamford, in Leicestershire, and upon the river Welland.
The neighbourhood of Stamford, on the Derwent, contains some memorials of the battle. Horseshoes, swords, and the heads of halberds, or bills, are often found there ; one place is called the ``Danes' well,'' another the ``Battle flats.'' From a tradition that the weapon with which the Norwegian champion was slain, resembled a pear, or, as others say, that the trough or boat in which the soldier floated under the bridge to strike the blow, had such a shape, the country people usually begin a great market, which is held at Stamford, with an entertainment called the Pear-pie feast, which after all may be a corruption of the Spear-pie feast.
And when they were gathered there was much talk, for some would give battle at once and some delay until Fingal, the King of Morven, should come to aid them.
So saying, she drew Mars out of the battle, and set him down upon the steep banks of the Scamander.
Half an hour or more was allowed to elapse between the setting out of the horns or wings of the army before any stir was made by the Greys and their supporting regiment, known as the Buffaloes, which formed its chest, and were destined to bear the brunt of the battle.
About noon I passed low over a great dead city of ancient Mars, and as I skimmed out across the plain beyond I came full upon several thousand green warriors engaged in a terrific battle. Scarcely had I seen them than a volley of shots was directed at me, and with the almost unfailing accuracy of their aim my little craft was instantly a ruined wreck, sinking erratically to the ground.
Prince Andrew during the battle had been in attendance on the Austrian General Schmidt, who was killed in the action.
Finally there is the "Battle of the Frogs and Mice".