battle

1 of 3

noun

bat·​tle ˈba-tᵊl How to pronounce battle (audio)
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 How to pronounce battle (audio)
; 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 How to pronounce battle (audio)
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

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 Verb (1) the two teams, which have long been archrivals, will battle on the court for the state championship the two top-seeded tennis players battled each other for almost three hours the two armies battled each other for control of the bridge we must battle hunger and poverty wherever they exist
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
This year’s finals were helped even more by a close battle between a perennial WNBA powerhouse in the Lynx and a previously championship-less contender in the Liberty. Jake Piazza, CNBC, 22 Oct. 2024 Ena’s life and the series, viewers will sense, will turn on her battle for some kind of happiness, despite everything. John Hopewell, Variety, 22 Oct. 2024
Verb
In the show, three contestants battle it out on a giant version of the Trivial Pursuit game board and its distinctly colored category wedges. Leo Barraclough, Variety, 23 Oct. 2024 And two classmates from UCLA, Johnson and Yang, would battle for gold in the decathlon. Tim Genske, Forbes, 22 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for battle 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'battle.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of battle was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near battle

Cite this Entry

“Battle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/battle. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

battle

1 of 2 noun
bat·​tle ˈbat-ᵊl How to pronounce battle (audio)
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 How to pronounce battle (audio)
-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 How to pronounce battle (audio)
-ᵊl-ər
noun

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