1
as in to fight
to oppose (someone) in physical conflict
a general eager to combat the enemy on his own ground
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to oppose
to strive to reduce or eliminate
must marshal all of our resources to combat this disease
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in field
active fighting during the course of a war
a soldier who served throughout the war without actually seeing combat
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in skirmish
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups
the two stags entered a furious combat for dominance of the herd
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in battle
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
the fierce ideological combat between the religionists and the secularists
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of combat
Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 14 Mar. 2025
The delay is designed to combat fraudulent returns that are filed to claim these credits.
—Susan Tompor, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2025
Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2025
The training alongside South Korean soldiers will include urban combat, field hospital operations, field artillery exercises, air assault training and air defenses, the Army said in a statement on Monday.
—Hakyung Kate Lee, ABC News, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for combat
Verb
Chaos among Democrats Since November, the Democratic Party has struggled to find its way, trying to pick up the pieces from last year’s disastrous elections and searching for a message — and leader — to combat the Trump administration.
—Mychael Schnell, The Hill, 14 Mar. 2025
The delay is designed to combat fraudulent returns that are filed to claim these credits.
—Susan Tompor, USA TODAY, 13 Mar. 2025
Noun
In his nightly video address to Ukrainians, Mr. Zelensky said the Ukrainian delegation had entered the talks on Tuesday with an offer for a partial truce, covering only aerial bombardments and combat on the Black Sea.
—Andrew E. Kramer, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2025
The training alongside South Korean soldiers will include urban combat, field hospital operations, field artillery exercises, air assault training and air defenses, the Army said in a statement on Monday.
—Hakyung Kate Lee, ABC News, 10 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for combat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combat
Verb
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Sympathy for Israelis has dropped in the past few years, as Israel has been led by a hardline right-wing government and, since the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, fought a war against the terror group in Gaza with high numbers of casualties.—
Ben Sales,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Mar. 2025
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Listen to this article Environmental advocates are fighting an energy bill that Democratic leaders say will lower utility bills and further Maryland’s clean energy initiative.—
Rachel McCrea,
Baltimore Sun,
10 Mar. 2025
Verb
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California voters opposed similar school voucher plans in 1993 and 2000, with both initiatives receiving about 30 percent support.—
Kate Wolffe,
Sacramento Bee,
20 Mar. 2025
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For decades, the organization vigorously opposed sports gambling.—
Made by History,
TIME,
20 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Now teams that miss out on the NCAA tournament on selection Sunday are added to the 32-team NIT field, which uses home court sites until the semifinal and final rounds.—
Jack Magruder,
Forbes,
20 Mar. 2025
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Ellie McCuskey-Hay, St. Ignatius track and field: McCuskey-Hay won three events for SI in a dual meet against Presentation on Tuesday.—
Christian Babcock,
The Mercury News,
20 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The killings helped ignite the Revolutionary War that began following the April 19, 1775, skirmishes called the Battle of Lexington and Concord and the vastly bloodier June 17, 1775, Battle of Bunker Hill in Charlestown.—
Peter Lucas,
Boston Herald,
3 Mar. 2025
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Since the onset of Israel’s war against Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces engaged in cross-border skirmishes with Hezbollah – including ground operations on Lebanese soil – until a ceasefire deal was struck late last year.—
Greg Norman,
Fox News,
28 Feb. 2025
Noun
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The 65-year-old Augustinian friar and his three fellow monks, who have dedicated their lives to silent prayer inside Florence’s Santo Spirito monastery, are preparing to go into battle over plans to open a luxury retirement home on the site.—
Barbie Latza Nadeau,
CNN,
21 Mar. 2025
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Claude can also integrate multiple pieces of similar knowledge into pretty elegant battle strategies, even extending those strategies into long-term plans for catching and managing teams of multiple creatures for future battles.—
Ars Technica,
Ars Technica,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The attack starts with hackers uploading what looks like a harmless extension to the Chrome Web Store.—
Kurt Knutsson, CyberGuy Report,
Fox News,
13 Mar. 2025
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Grimes said that, in the experience of KnowBe4, social engineering is involved in 70% - 90% of all successful hacking attacks.—
Davey Winder,
Forbes,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Duke won 76-65 on the road in Louisville in the only regular-season clash between these teams.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
15 Mar. 2025
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Read more: • Schumer clashes with liberal colleagues over House GOP funding bill.—
Jonathan Easley,
The Hill,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Saturday’s meeting between St. John’s and Arkansas (21-13) is set to renew a decades-long rivalry between Pitino and Calipari.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
21 Mar. 2025
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Pitino had unknowingly helped give Calipari his first big break and started a rivalry that lasts today.—
Tim Casey,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
Articles Related to combat
Cite this Entry
“Combat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combat. Accessed 24 Mar. 2025.
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