single combat

noun

: combat between two persons

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web IQAF Su-25s performed even more poorly in the same period, carrying out only a single combat strike. —

Paul Iddon, Forbes, 27 June 2022 The matter might have ended there, but John kept trying to convince Edward to fight him in single combat for the throne. —

Anne Thériault, Longreads, 21 June 2022 Moments later, Helen learned that Paris had agreed to fight her jilted husband, Menelaus, in single combat, to decide the outcome of the war. —

Joshua Hammer, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Feb. 2022 In the past 18 months, the U.S. has not suffered a single combat casualty there. —

Mike Pence, WSJ, 17 Aug. 2021 Spread across an open field nearby, other players fought one another in single combat as part of a tournament. —

Rob Garver, Washington Post, 29 Apr. 2018 Though more willing to kill his master than the woman who previously trounced him in single combat, Kylo Ren remains as devoted to his political ideologies as Rey does to her entirely non-compatible ones. —

Ciara Wardlow, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Dec. 2017 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'single combat.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1585, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of single combat was in 1585

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Single combat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/single%20combat. Accessed 27 Jan. 2023.

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