variants
or combatting
1
as in fighting
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 opposing
to strive to reduce or eliminate
must marshal all of our resources to combat this disease
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of combating
Jackson becomes head of the Chicago chapter of the SCLC’s economic arm, Operation Breadbasket, a program promoting better employment for the Black community by combating discriminatory hiring practices.
—
Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
At meetings with political appointees, staffers were encouraged to describe their work as combating fraud in the immigration system.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2026
Instead of focusing on building an entire friendship network from scratch, visiting a local establishment can be a more accessible approach to combatting this.
—Ellen O’Brien, SELF, 17 Feb. 2026
For Deutch, the decision between combatting antisemitism and strengthening Jewish education and infrastructure was a false choice.
—Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 16 Feb. 2026
Despite state and local laws restricting law enforcement from assisting immigration enforcement, California and San Diego agencies continue to work with the federal government on task forces aimed at combating cross-border crime and protecting public safety.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
The State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) invested millions to foster democratic progress in Albania and assisted in combating Albania’s struggles with corruption and strengthening its weak institutions.
—Chris Massaro, FOXNews.com, 13 Feb. 2026
But since the explosion of services like ChatGPT, some Wikipedians are spending a lot of time combatting AI slop introduced to the site by human editors who are using ChatGPT and other chatbots to write their entries.
—Imogen West-Knights, The Dial, 10 Feb. 2026
But Darnold has made strides in combating that weakness.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
Darcel Rockett, Chicago Tribune, 17 Feb. 2026
At meetings with political appointees, staffers were encouraged to describe their work as combating fraud in the immigration system.
—Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 17 Feb. 2026
Instead of focusing on building an entire friendship network from scratch, visiting a local establishment can be a more accessible approach to combatting this.
—Ellen O’Brien, SELF, 17 Feb. 2026
For Deutch, the decision between combatting antisemitism and strengthening Jewish education and infrastructure was a false choice.
—Grace Gilson, Sun Sentinel, 16 Feb. 2026
Despite state and local laws restricting law enforcement from assisting immigration enforcement, California and San Diego agencies continue to work with the federal government on task forces aimed at combating cross-border crime and protecting public safety.
—Michael Smolens, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026
The State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) invested millions to foster democratic progress in Albania and assisted in combating Albania’s struggles with corruption and strengthening its weak institutions.
—Chris Massaro, FOXNews.com, 13 Feb. 2026
But since the explosion of services like ChatGPT, some Wikipedians are spending a lot of time combatting AI slop introduced to the site by human editors who are using ChatGPT and other chatbots to write their entries.
—Imogen West-Knights, The Dial, 10 Feb. 2026
But Darnold has made strides in combating that weakness.
—Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 6 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combating
Verb
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In 2017, the 48-year-old former boxing champion retired from professional prize fighting undefeated at 50-0.—
Matt Schubert,
New York Times,
21 Feb. 2026
-
Being positive, for me, means fighting against suffering and anger.—
Gaby Wood,
Vogue,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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That’s the offer WBD is officially opposing.—
Brian Stelter,
CNN Money,
17 Feb. 2026
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My co-counsel did a phenomenal job and very much appreciated having that opposing argument.—
Deni Ellis Béchard,
Scientific American,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Waldron, who is battling for the one or two available rotation spots, allowed a hit, walked a batter and struck out two.—
Kevin Acee,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
21 Feb. 2026
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Tayton Conerway had 12 points and seven assists, while Tucker DeVries added 11 points on a night Indiana’s offense never got in sync and whose post players struggled against the Boilermakers size, all while battling foul trouble.—
Michael Marot,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Republicans are countering that attack with their own, evolving messaging on health care.—
John Wilkerson,
STAT,
11 Feb. 2026
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These include high-power microwave systems and lasers, capable of countering mega-constellations at low costs.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Combating.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combating. Accessed 23 Feb. 2026.
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