1
as in fights
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 opposes
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 actions
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 skirmishes
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 battles
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 combats
Ronny Maye, Essence, 31 Oct. 2025
Nourish Up, an organization that combats hunger in Mecklenburg County through food banks, grocery delivery and the meals on wheels program, served 164,000 people in 2024 alone.
—Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 30 Oct. 2025
The Joint Terrorism Task Force is a federal law enforcement organization that combats both domestic and international terrorism.
—Solcyré Burga, Time, 2 Oct. 2025
Becca Israel, director of the Nexus Project, a nonprofit that combats antisemitism and promotes democracy, said the administration's actions send conflicting messages.
—Jason Derose, NPR, 17 Sep. 2025
Lately Rigel has seen big sales increases for a few of its drugs, notably Tavelisse, which combats a condition in which the body’s immune system attacks its own blood platelets.
—John Dorfman, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Ant International claims the platform combats hallucinations and other data risks by using over 100 recognition models and 600,000 risk lexicons.
—Lionel Lim, Fortune, 13 Aug. 2025
Fox combats his symptoms, such as paralysis of his facial muscles, through medication and trains to preserve his ambulatory skills.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2025
Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Verb
Jasmine Crowe-Houston is the founder of Goodr, an organization that regularly combats food waste by collaborating with businesses, foundations, governments, and sports teams to provide high-quality food to local communities.
—Ronny Maye, Essence, 31 Oct. 2025
Nourish Up, an organization that combats hunger in Mecklenburg County through food banks, grocery delivery and the meals on wheels program, served 164,000 people in 2024 alone.
—Rebecca Noel, Charlotte Observer, 30 Oct. 2025
The Joint Terrorism Task Force is a federal law enforcement organization that combats both domestic and international terrorism.
—Solcyré Burga, Time, 2 Oct. 2025
Becca Israel, director of the Nexus Project, a nonprofit that combats antisemitism and promotes democracy, said the administration's actions send conflicting messages.
—Jason Derose, NPR, 17 Sep. 2025
Lately Rigel has seen big sales increases for a few of its drugs, notably Tavelisse, which combats a condition in which the body’s immune system attacks its own blood platelets.
—John Dorfman, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Ant International claims the platform combats hallucinations and other data risks by using over 100 recognition models and 600,000 risk lexicons.
—Lionel Lim, Fortune, 13 Aug. 2025
Fox combats his symptoms, such as paralysis of his facial muscles, through medication and trains to preserve his ambulatory skills.
—Kimi Robinson, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2025
Noun
This proactive boundary setting manages stakeholder expectations, combats scope creep and forces ruthless focus on the absolute core, driving true agility over bloat.
—Expert Panel®, Forbes.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for combats
Verb
-
Eleven finds her way to them, jumping inside the Mind Flayer to destroy Vecna, who’s controlling it from within, while Will fights telepathically from the outside, no longer empathetic or afraid to go toe to toe with his former saboteur.—
Yohana Desta,
Rolling Stone,
4 Jan. 2026
-
Ucg | Universal Images Group | Getty Images Novo Nordisk’s shift from a market darling to a serious underperformer has set the stage for a transitional 2026 as the Danish drugmaker fights to regain investor confidence in its weight loss business.—
Elsa Ohlen,
CNBC,
1 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Roarke LaCoursiere, with the Indiana Catholic Conference, said the organization opposes the bill because while its members stand with the victims and their families, the death penalty doesn’t bring about justice.—
Alexandra Kukulka,
Chicago Tribune,
6 Jan. 2026
-
The governor rightly opposes raising nation-leading personal income taxes but may be cracking open the door to raising business or other taxes to respond to federal cuts.—
Andrew Rein,
New York Daily News,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
In some cases, actions of the British armed forces have been described as unjustified.—
Eduardo Tansley,
New York Times,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Majumdar lavishes her characters with careful attention, and so the reader comes to regard their most troubling actions as justified, if not inevitable.—
Tope Folarin,
The Atlantic,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Hundreds of thousands of civilians were displaced from their homes in both countries when border skirmishes broke out for the second time this year.—
David Zimmermann,
The Washington Examiner,
27 Dec. 2025
-
For more than a century, Thailand and Cambodia have contested sovereignty at various undemarcated points along their 817-kilometer (508-mile) land border – a dispute that has occasionally exploded into skirmishes and fighting.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
27 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The facility, which is surrounded by the Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve, also has led to separate legal battles in federal court.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Soon the scene devolved into individual battles between officers and rioters.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The fact that both these sports use rounded playing fields that are similar in size to an athletics track makes the transition easier, Coulson said.—
Oscar Holland,
CNN Money,
7 Jan. 2026
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Members will also have access to a spa, hiking, biking, fishing, clubhouse, fitness center, kids adventure center, family water park, outdoor sports fields and other amenities.—
Fousia Abdullahi,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Since Assad’s ousting, Syria has seen flare-ups of deadly sectarian violence, with clashes erupting between security forces and those loyal to the former president, including in Syria’s coastal Latakia region in March.—
Sophie Tanno,
CNN Money,
9 Nov. 2025
-
As for South Sudan, a senior United Nations official said earlier this week that the ongoing conflict in Sudan is causing destabilization in South Sudan, including armed clashes and food insecurity.—
Dan Gooding,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Few crosstown rivalries can compare to the one Hingham and Notre Dame Academy have developed the past few decades.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The history of contemporary music is littered with hundreds of rivalries both amicable and otherwise.—
Jason Newman,
Rolling Stone,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Combats.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/combats. Accessed 10 Jan. 2026.
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