mortal combat

noun

: a fight that will result in the death of the loser : a fight to the death
two gladiators locked in mortal combat

Examples of mortal combat in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
One fossil assemblage from the Yixian Formation preserved the remains of these species in mortal combat, frozen in mid-action. Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 5 Nov. 2024 On the whole, chimps are significantly more violent as a group than bonobos, with bands of males engaging in sometimes mortal combat with other bands over access to food, territory, and females. Jeffrey Kluger, TIME, 5 June 2024 Our paradigms need to shift in order to see that, like communities, ecosystems are not arenas of mortal combat but rather networks that create space for all. Lorraine Berry, Los Angeles Times, 14 Aug. 2023 The scientists suspect they were suddenly engulfed in a volcanic mudflow and buried alive during mortal combat. Reuters, NBC News, 19 July 2023 Uniform constructs the fighting man for mortal combat. Hazlitt, 12 May 2022

Dictionary Entries Near mortal combat

Cite this Entry

“Mortal combat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mortal%20combat. Accessed 27 Nov. 2024.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!