battle

1 of 3

noun

bat·​tle ˈba-tᵊl 

plural battles

1

: a hostile encounter between opposing military forces

the battle of Normandy

soldiers who fell in battle

—sometimes used before another noun

battle gear

2

: a usually lengthy contest, struggle, or controversy

a child custody battle

legal battles

… Detective Madison spends the film locked in a battle of wits with a criminal who always manages to stay one step ahead of him.

—Brad Sanders

3

: a struggle to succeed or survive

her battle with cancer

… I came home and faced an uphill battle to gain support for the treaty in the U.S. Senate.

—Al Gore

4

: a combat between two persons

specifically, history : the combat by which disputes were legally decided

In spite of the appeal of trial by battle to the imagination and plotlines of Victorian novels and Hollywood films, it was an uncommon event.

—Norman F. Cantor

5

archaic : battalion

battle

2 of 3

verb (1)

battled; battling ˈbat-liŋ 

ˈba-tᵊl-iŋ

; battles

intransitive verb

1

: to engage in combat between individuals or armed forces : to engage in battle : fight

battling for control of the bridge

2

: to contend with full strength, vigor, skill, or resources : struggle

They battled to keep their son out of jail.

battling over how to spend the money

transitive verb

1

: to fight or struggle against

battling cancer

two teams set to battle each other for the championship

battling it out in the courtroom

2

: to force, thrust, or drive by battling

battling his way through the crowd

battler

ˈbat-lər 

ˈba-tᵊl-ər

noun

plural battlers

… will no doubt continue to be the Senate's boldest battler for … justice …

—John Nichols

… a player who sweats: a fighter, a battler, a tireless worker who never stops.

—Sam Borden

battle

3 of 3

verb (2)

battled; battling; battles

transitive verb

archaic

: to fortify with battlements

… beneath the battled tower.

—Alfred Tennyson

Phrases

do battle

: to engage in a fight or struggle

… used to do battle with the fearless radicals of the Socialist Workers Party …

—Salman Rushdie

half the battle

: an important and necessary part of doing or achieving something

I think you will prosper, for the sincere wish to be good is half the battle.

—Louisa May Alcott

In the positioning war, half the battle is picking the right enemy.

—Ted Morgan

—often used with words like only and just to stress that something is not enough by itself to achieve a desired goal

Selecting which partners and investors to woo is only half the battle. Knowing how to pitch them is equally important.

—Michelle Goodman

in the heat of (the) battle

: while fighting a battle

soldiers in the heat of battle

—often used figuratively

When it comes to devising a game plan or making a key decision in the heat of battle, is there any coach you'd rather have than Bill Belichick?

—Brian Baldinger

battle it out

: to engage in a prolonged fight, argument, or struggle

The two sides battled it out in court.

… predicting that she and her 15-year-old sister, Serena, would soon be battling it out for No. 1.

—S. L. Price

Synonyms

Noun

• fight
• fray
• scrabble
• struggle
• throes

Verb (1)

• compete
• contend
• face off
• fight
• race
• rival
• vie

Examples of battle in a Sentence

Noun

That two-day conflict has become one of the most famous battles in history.

The battle continued late into the night.

Thousands of soldiers were willing to go into battle to fight the enemy.

A police officer was injured in a gun battle that took place last night.

The company was involved in a legal battle with one of its employees.

the never-ending battle between good and evil

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Keith LeBlanc, a drummer, producer and recording artist best known for his work on pioneering early hip-hop records by Grandmaster Flash and others, died Thursday after a battle with an undisclosed illness, his wife Fran LeBlanc confirms to Variety. —Jem Aswad, Variety, 5 Apr. 2024

In his remarks, DeSantis dismissed the court battle. —Jenny Staletovich, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024

Related Articles Fighting for the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference playoffs is a far cry from the battle of Western titans. —Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024

Plaintiffs began the court battle in December 2022, with Maddox joining the lawsuit months later, after experiencing difficulties navigating various government buildings, from using restrooms to opening doors without automatic access. —Detroit Free Press, 4 Apr. 2024

Trump Media is also embroiled in legal battles in Delaware and Florida with co-founders Wesley Moss and Andrew Litinsky, who have accused the company of trying to improperly dilute their stake. —Reuters, NBC News, 3 Apr. 2024

Drafting men starting at age 25, given the likely battle casualties, also risks further diminishing this small generation of Ukrainians and potentially future birthrates, leaving the country with declines of working- and draft-age men decades from now. —Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 3 Apr. 2024

The Panthers are back home vs. the Bruins on Tuesday in what could be a battle for the East lead. —Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2024

For the remainder of the government funding battle, Johnson rarely bowed to conservative pressure. —USA TODAY, 24 Mar. 2024

Verb

Ford has also battled eye cancer, which led to him undergoing surgery about three years ago. —Dina Kaur, The Arizona Republic, 5 Apr. 2024

Ford has also been open about his health struggles over the past few years, including battling eye cancer and the autoimmune disease Myasthenia Gravis. —Jessica Nicholson, Billboard, 5 Apr. 2024

Four years after ejecting Donald Trump from the White House, Joe Biden is battling his own bad case of toxic incumbency. —Susan B. Glasser, The New Yorker, 5 Apr. 2024

Cheli was named first-team all-Bay Area News Group in each of the past three seasons despite battling injuries during both her junior and senior years. —Joseph Dycus, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024

For the past few months, the pope has been battling frequent bouts of bronchitis, cold and the flu, with regular visits to the hospital for checks on his lungs. —NBC News, 2 Apr. 2024

College hoops fans who want to watch the last four women's teams battle it out in this year's edition of the March Madness tournament in person may want to brace for sticker shock. —Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 1 Apr. 2024

But states always weigh what peace would look like against continuing to battle. —Branislav L. Slantchev, Foreign Affairs, 1 Apr. 2024

There’s a significant gap between the Top Five and Austin Cindric and Denny Hamlin battling for sixth. —Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 24 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English batel, from Anglo-French bataille battle, battalion, from Late Latin battalia combat, alteration of battualia fencing exercises, from Latin battuere to beat

Verb (1)

Middle English bataillen, borrowed from Anglo-French batailler, verbal derivative of bataille battle entry 1

Verb (2)

Middle English batailen, from Anglo-French bataillier to fortify with battlements, from Old French batailles battlemented tower, probably from plural of bataille battle

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Verb (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing battle

• battle-ax
• battle/clash of wills
• battle dress uniform
• battle cruiser
• battle-axe
• battle fatigue
• battle of the sexes
• battle cry
• battle line
• custody battle
• battle rope
• battle royal
• in battle
• do battle
• field of battle
• fight a losing battle
• half the battle
• running battle
• order of battle
• join battle
• pitched battle
• uphill battle
• in the heat of (the) battle
• trial by battle
• pre-battle
• battle royale
• battle it out
• battle of wits

Kids Definition

battle

1 of 2 noun

bat·​tle ˈbat-ᵊl 

1

: a fight between two persons

trial by battle

2

: a fight between armies, warships, or airplanes

3

: a long or hard struggle or contest

a battle of wits

battle

2 of 2 verb

battled; battling ˈbat-liŋ 

-ᵊl-iŋ

1

: to engage in battle

2

: contend sense 2, struggle

battle for a cause

3

: to fight against

battling a forest fire

battler

-lər 

-ᵊl-ər

noun