1
as in fight
a forceful effort to reach a goal or objective
passing the medical licensing exam was an uphill battle, but she succeeded
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
2
as in skirmish
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups
a battle between rival gangs left two people lying dead on the street
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in field
active fighting during the course of a war
soldiers who desperately wanted to forget the horrors that they had witnessed in battle
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in rivalry
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
the chess game was a real battle between two of the world's best players
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
2
3
as in to fight
to oppose (someone) in physical conflict
the two armies battled each other for control of the bridge
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in to oppose
to strive to reduce or eliminate
we must battle hunger and poverty wherever they exist
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of battle
Michael Saponara, Billboard, 21 Oct. 2025
From the outset of the war, food became our fiercest battle.
—Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2025
N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
Firefighters launched an aggressive interior and exterior attack, battling the blaze for nearly three hours before bringing it under control, Jennings said.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for battle
Noun
With Toronto facing off against Los Angeles, who are looking for back-to-back World Series titles of their own, fans didn’t waste any time in drawing a parallel back to Drizzy’s 2024 battle against Compton native Kendrick Lamar.
—Michael Saponara, Billboard, 21 Oct. 2025
From the outset of the war, food became our fiercest battle.
—Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
Grayson, who is battling stage-three colon cancer, faces 45 years to life if convicted.
—N'dea Yancey-Bragg, USA Today, 22 Oct. 2025
Firefighters launched an aggressive interior and exterior attack, battling the blaze for nearly three hours before bringing it under control, Jennings said.
—Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for battle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for battle
Noun
-
When police arrived, however, there was no sign of any fight or crime scene.—
Liam Quinn,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
-
In his eight wins, all eight have come inside the distance, with only two fights seeing a second round.—
Brett Appley,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
Amazon Prime commentator Kirk Herbstreit said as a guess at Rodgers' response to Jones, as footage of the sideline near-skirmish played for viewers.—
Skyler Caruso,
PEOPLE,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Why This Hurts More Than Before US-China trade tensions aren’t just another tariff skirmish.—
Vitalii Savryha,
Sourcing Journal,
21 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
His middle name is a homage to the Atlanta Braves’ former field where Freddie played for the majority of his career.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
26 Oct. 2025
-
The next time Hamilton had the ball, Sculley hit Oliver crossing the middle of the field for a 90-yard touchdown.—
Richard Obert,
AZCentral.com,
26 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
And, in the short term, if history is any guide, a little friendly rivalry between teams will only accelerate progress.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
20 Oct. 2025
-
Prestige revolves around a rivalry between two magicians (Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale) in turn-of-the-20th century London.—
Kirk Honeycutt,
HollywoodReporter,
20 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Smith, who double majored in statistics and computer science, previously competed on the women’s swimming and diving team.—
Joshua Rhett Miller,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
-
The last American to compete in the pinnacle of motorsport was Logan Sargeant, who raced for Williams for nearly two years before the team replaced him.—
Madeline Coleman,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
At home, Takaichi faces her own challenges.—
Hanako Montgomery,
CNN Money,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The president and his party have faced three corruption scandals this year, while Argentina’s slowing economy and frustration with high unemployment rates helped push Milei’s approval to the lowest level of his term ahead of the vote.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
27 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
To combat this, a 4-2-3-1 can be morphed into multiple defensive shapes depending on the head coach’s preference.—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
23 Oct. 2025
-
The landmark document, made known by Pope Paul VI in 1965, denounced antisemitism and combatted the narrative that Jews should be collectively blamed for Jesus’ crucifixion.—
Lauren Costantino,
Miami Herald,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Kentucky Republican Rand Paul has opposed the legislation on multiple occasions.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
26 Oct. 2025
-
The group exhausts and irritates opposing pitchers.—
Andy McCullough,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Battle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/battle. Accessed 28 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share