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
Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 29 Jan. 2026
On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, one Brooklyn program is working to combat loneliness and decades-old trauma among survivors living far from the places where their lives were forever changed.
—Hannah Kliger, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 29 Jan. 2026
Human males historically took on hunting and combat roles, protecting the females and young.
—Christopher Ferguson, Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for combat
Verb
In filigree, there’s a palpable desire to combat a view of Vietnam as a country beset by poverty.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 29 Jan. 2026
On International Holocaust Remembrance Day, one Brooklyn program is working to combat loneliness and decades-old trauma among survivors living far from the places where their lives were forever changed.
—Hannah Kliger, CBS News, 28 Jan. 2026
Noun
Ghost Bat functions as a stealthy, multi-role unmanned combat aircraft that can work autonomously or accompany pilots alongside their fighter jets.
—Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 29 Jan. 2026
Human males historically took on hunting and combat roles, protecting the females and young.
—Christopher Ferguson, Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for combat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combat
Verb
-
Graham, in particular, has been on a war path over the negotiations, accusing Republicans of not fighting hard enough to reclaim the narrative on immigration after the death of Alex Pretti last weekend.—
David Sivak,
The Washington Examiner,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Defense attorney Marilyn Bednarski said Lemon plans to plead innocent and fight the charges in Minnesota.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Lawmakers opposed to the move tore up agenda papers, shouted slogans and blew whistles, bringing proceedings to a halt.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
29 Jan. 2026
-
In the wake of the fatal shootings of American citizens Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers during operations on the streets of Minneapolis, a recent YouGov poll shows that more Americans support abolishing ICE than those opposed.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
That shooting prowess carried over into Friday night’s game, as Grand Canyon began the game shooting 10-for-13 from the field, including a perfect 5-for-5 start from beyond the arc.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
31 Jan. 2026
-
While this idea sparked an entire field of research, experiments were long limited by the difficulty of controlling and measuring objects just a nanometer across.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
At least four videos appear to contradict the administration’s account that Pretti was holding a weapon during the skirmish leading up to his death.—
Karen Cortes,
NBC news,
26 Jan. 2026
-
That led to a small skirmish with the governor’s office.—
Josie Reich,
Hartford Courant,
21 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In a city where detentions have largely played out on the streets, Homan’s comments have highlighted a battle that has been unfolding in the background.—
Elizabeth Wolfe,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
-
The exercise of power, not surprisingly, contributed to the restlessness of a busy mind that waged battles against a committed opposition.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
His June assault on Iran’s nuclear facilities had two carrier groups in the region, more there as a counter-weight to any Iranian reprisals than to be directly involved in the attack.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
31 Jan. 2026
-
Senegal -- The Islamic State extremist group claimed responsibility on Friday for an attack on an air force base in Niger's capital that wounded four soldiers and damaged an aircraft.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Tempers flared during a recent pair of NBA games, and both contests were marred by tense clashes between players.—
Chantz Martin,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
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Having beaten Rybakina from a similar situation in the 2023 title clash, Sabalenka unleashed a flurry of winners to go ahead 3-0, but the Kazakh erased the deficit and broke for 4-3 before securing the victory to add to her 2022 Wimbledon triumph.—
Reuters,
NBC news,
31 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
That sets Chavez and Crump up to be the future of this rivalry, which dates back to 1979.—
Danny Davis,
Austin American Statesman,
31 Jan. 2026
-
This transformed a political rivalry into a blood feud.—
Karim Sadjadpour,
The Atlantic,
31 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Combat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combat. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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