bat·tle
| \ ˈba-tᵊl
\
\
Definition of battle
(Entry 1 of 3)
2
: a combat between two persons
3
: a general encounter between armies, ships of war, or aircraft
the battle of Normandy soldiers who fell in battle
4
: an extended contest, struggle, or controversy
a battle of wits
5
: 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
do battle
half the battle
in the heat of (the) battle
: to engage in a fight or struggle
… used to do battle with the fearless radicals of the Socialist Workers Party …— Salman Rushdie
: 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
: while fighting a battle
soldiers in the heat of battle
: during the stress of a struggle, argument, or confrontation
That's how we fight our battles in boxing … In the heat of battle we all say crazy things we are not accountable for.—Bob Arum
battle
verb (1)
battled;
battling\ ˈbat-liŋ
, ˈba-tᵊl-iŋ \
, ˈba-tᵊl-iŋ \
Definition of battle (Entry 2 of 3)
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
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
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
battle
verb (2)
battled;
battling
Definition of battle (Entry 3 of 3)
archaic
: to fortify with battlements
… beneath the battled tower.— Alfred Tennyson
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Other Words from battle
Verb (1)
battler
\ ˈbat-lər
, ˈba-tᵊl-ər \
noun
, ˈba-tᵊl-ər \
noun
Synonyms for battle
Synonyms: Noun
fight, fray, scrabble, struggle, throes
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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
Lincoln 32, Capuchino-San Bruno 6: Visiting Lincoln (1-0), the defending state 6-A champion, rolled as Luis Contreras rushed for touchdowns of 3, 55, 4, 12 and 67 yards against Capuchino (0-1) in a battle of Mustangs. — Mitch Stephens, SFChronicle.com, "De La Salle gets back to winning ways, beats Central Catholic-Modesto," 30 Aug. 2019 Historian and professor Gary Highlander will discuss the largest and bloodiest battle experienced by American forces in all of World War II on Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 6:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. — BostonGlobe.com, "Yoga classes, jewelry, and a WWII lecture," 28 Aug. 2019 Conflict Humanitarian forensic experts also help factions in armed conflicts fulfill their international obligations towards the dead in battle. — Ahmad Samarji, The Conversation, "Humanitarian forensic scientists trace the missing, identify the dead and comfort the living," 28 Aug. 2019 Recognizing that the ideological battle is far broader than any specific policy domain is critical to breaking the Koch legacy. — Adam Eichen, The New Republic, "How David Koch’s 1980 Fantasy Became America’s Current Reality," 27 Aug. 2019 The other battle has been at right guard between senior Roy Hemsley and redshirt freshman Jarrett Bell. — Michelle Gardner, azcentral, "ASU football Q&A: Discussing Jayden Daniels, offensive line shuffling, Joey Yellen's future," 26 Aug. 2019 The Ivey-Blades battle was the only starting spot still up for grabs for the Hurricanes, according to the team’s depth chart. — David Furones, sun-sentinel.com, "Cornerback DJ Ivey suspended for Miami Hurricanes’ opener against Florida Gators," 24 Aug. 2019 The battle for the boundary safety job is between Brady Breeze and returning starter Nick Pickett, who led Ducks defensive backs in tackles last season. — oregonlive.com, "Competition continues for spots on two-deep in Oregon secondary," 22 Aug. 2019 If the battle against Matthew Wright is close, the Steelers could go for the cap savings. — John Clayton, The Denver Post, "NFL players who could become salary cap casualties before the season," 21 Aug. 2019Recent Examples on the Web: Verb
The tearjerker, which Swift wrote with Jack Antonoff, is a get-well-soon ode to the singer’s mother, Andrea, who is battling cancer. — Lauren Huff, EW.com, "Dixie Chicks hit Hot 100 for first time in 12 years with Taylor Swift collaboration," 3 Sep. 2019 Then there were the Steel Men, who battled in a Pitt. — SI.com, "Capt. Andrew Luck Bids Farewell to His Unit," 28 Aug. 2019 For the first time since training camp began, the 49ers had their full complement of running backs practicing Tuesday, including Raheem Mostert, who’s been battling a quadriceps injury. — Cam Inman, The Mercury News, "Brace yourself, 49ers McKinnon practicing, but Street IR bound," 27 Aug. 2019 Keep an eye out for quarterback and former Oregon State star Sean Mannion, who is battling Kyle Sloter for the backup quarterback position. — oregonlive.com, "Arizona Cardinals vs. Minnesota Vikings in NFL preseason: Time, TV channel, score, how to watch live stream online," 24 Aug. 2019 Fans theorize the subject is her mom, Andrea, who has battled cancer. — Raisa Bruner, Time, "Your Guide to the Many, Many References Taylor Swift Drops in the Lover Album," 23 Aug. 2019 Andrew Clawson caught eight passes for 93 yards and a TD at tight end and Javen Javero, who is battling Sammy Dennis and Nick Blanchard for playing time at running back, carried just 21 times for 79 yards and two TDs as a sophomore. — Pomerado News, "Time for younger Bronco players to step up," 22 Aug. 2019 In lieu of flowers a memorial has been set up for her son Ethan, who is battling cancer. — courant.com, "Jane L. Powell," 20 Aug. 2019 On that day, Davis was filling in for injured Trevor Williams, who is battling Davis for the starting position this year. — Andrew J. Campa, Glendale News-Press, "Glendale High’s Michael Davis continues incredible NFL climb with Chargers," 19 Aug. 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'battle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.