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
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 combat
Devon Henderson, New York Times, 27 May 2026
Such weapons were designed to combat rioters and soldiers, and their compounds are toxic, especially to children, who breathe more rapidly than adults relative to their body weight.
—Lisa Song, ProPublica, 27 May 2026
Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
Kozycki completed three combat deployments in the Middle East and spent three years embedded with the Royal Australian Air Force.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for combat
Verb
To combat this, the MSG family of companies announced Wednesday an initiative through its partner, Garden of Dreams Foundation, to give away 250 free tickets for each of Games 3 and 4 to underprivileged youth throughout New York City.
—Devon Henderson, New York Times, 27 May 2026
Such weapons were designed to combat rioters and soldiers, and their compounds are toxic, especially to children, who breathe more rapidly than adults relative to their body weight.
—Lisa Song, ProPublica, 27 May 2026
Noun
According to law enforcement sources, the FBI is investigating a livestream feed of the attack or the aftermath from inside a BMW that captures the suspects in combat outfits that include Nazi symbols with guns visible.
—Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2026
Kozycki completed three combat deployments in the Middle East and spent three years embedded with the Royal Australian Air Force.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for combat
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combat
Verb
-
The city’s directors have apparently decided that if crowns are going to be fought over, audiences might as well sweat a little, too.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
22 May 2026
-
Ada County Sheriff Matt Clifford, who fought against mandatory ICE cooperation legislation this spring, is now preparing to voluntarily sign a 287(g) agreement for the warrant service officer program with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.—
Chadd Cripe. Produced with AI assistance,
Idaho Statesman,
22 May 2026
Verb
-
The coalition opposing the bill, which includes firms with a financial stake in the outcome, has published constituent letters making the human case against reform.—
Joe Rubin,
Sacbee.com,
28 May 2026
-
The poll found the majority of Republicans, 52%, and a plurality of MAGA supporters, 45%, oppose the controversial fund set up by the Justice Department to pay people who believe they’ve been victimized by the government.—
Sara Dorn,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
The Masters Meet is the meet from which CIF-SS track and field athletes qualify for the CIF State Championships on Friday and Saturday, May 29 and 30, at Buchanan High in Clovis.—
Steve Fryer,
Oc Register,
24 May 2026
-
Zach Neto walked to open the bottom of the first inning before Trout launched his 13th home run over the center-field wall for a 2-0 lead.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
24 May 2026
Noun
-
Thankfully, none of these skirmishes affects the guests’ satisfaction with the trip.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
26 May 2026
-
One skirmish occurred in May 2021, when members of Moms for Liberty (M4L) began to target school board meetings in Williamson County, Tennessee.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
21 May 2026
Noun
-
On May 18, two armed teenagers entered the Islamic Center of San Diego, killing an armed security guard in a gun battle, then fatally shooting two men cornered in the parking lot, police said.—
Teri Figueroa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 May 2026
-
Staal made it 2-0 a minute and change later by winning a big boy net-front battle with Josh Anderson to pound in his second of the playoffs and continue his line’s dominance over the Canadiens.—
Arpon Basu,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
Northwestern didn’t let Johns Hopkins’ comeback attack get any closer though.—
Colleen Kane,
Chicago Tribune,
23 May 2026
-
Those attacks have also threatened its image as a glamorous haven for tourists to the Middle East.—
Amy Gunia,
CNN Money,
22 May 2026
Noun
-
Resistance to rules for safe burials of Ebola victims leads to clashes with health teams.—
Justin Kabumba,
Los Angeles Times,
23 May 2026
-
Otherwise, the two countries will have clashes and even conflicts, putting the entire relationship in great jeopardy.—
Robert McGreevy,
FOXNews.com,
23 May 2026
Noun
-
By beginning with 2018, the data isolates a period in which the Chevrolet-Honda rivalry remained important, while the fundamental aerodynamic platform was more consistent across the field.—
Giovanni Malloy,
Forbes.com,
23 May 2026
-
The moment capped a chaotic rivalry game between the reigning Open Division champions and a Kennedy team that was pushing for an upset, with defensive miscues helping shape the late innings for both sides.—
Ethan Hanson,
Daily News,
23 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Combat.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combat. Accessed 29 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
