battle 1 of 2

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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

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battle

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verb

1
as in to compete
to engage in a contest the two teams, which have long been archrivals, will battle on the court for the state championship

Synonyms & Similar Words

2
as in to face
to enter into contest or conflict with the two top-seeded tennis players battled each other for almost three hours

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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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
Noun
Since then, Jussie has been the subject of various legal battles from the city. Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 22 Aug. 2025 The creativity behind many of these battles is, and has always been, admirable. Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 22 Aug. 2025
Verb
Religion in Texas classrooms In South Carolina, Oklahoma and Texas, schools are battling over religious expression. Zulekha Nathoo, USA Today, 23 Aug. 2025 Zale died just a couple months shy of his 84th birthday and had been a resident at Fountain View Nursing Home in Portage while battling Parkinson’s disease. Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for battle
Recent Examples of Synonyms for battle
Noun
  • Instead, dozens of weekly fight nights and four big events a year will be freely available to all Paramount Plus subscribers.
    David Bloom, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
  • He was arrested three days after the fights and has been detained at the Hamilton County Justice Center.
    Kevin Grasha, The Enquirer, 14 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The Dodgers were held to three hits by Yu Darvish and the San Diego Padres’ bullpen and the Padres took a 2-1 victory in the opener of this weekend’s NL West skirmish.
    Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 23 Aug. 2025
  • Liam Gallagher has been barred from his traditional maracas tossing at Oasis’ reunion concerts after crowd skirmishes in pursuit of the instruments resulted in injuries.
    Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 16 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The domed facility features a turf sports field, a multi-sports court, a track, multipurpose rooms, fitness areas, lockers, showers and bathrooms.
    Nour Rahal, Freep.com, 24 Aug. 2025
  • Once Louis Vuitton and Gucci ran onto the field, the grass grew even greener.
    Merle Ginsberg, HollywoodReporter, 23 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • Clubs have built the foundation by nurturing talent and rivalries, but every global sport is also powered by national pride.
    Mike Stubbs, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2025
  • Ashcroft had been governor just before him, and the two were rumored to have a rivalry.
    Meredith Kile, People.com, 23 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Solitaire couldn’t compete with the dopamine hits of doom-scrolling social media or binge-watching Breaking Bad for the third time.
    Ariana Torrey, USA Today, 18 Aug. 2025
  • However, the question remains whether Nissan can compete with the onslaught from Chinese EVs, particularly in the UK, which doesn’t currently tariff automotive imports at the level of the EU or USA.
    James Morris, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • Students, parents, employees face a few first-day hiccups On Aug. 20, while most of the students at Ethel M. Taylor appeared to be in the right place, at least one landed there who should've been elsewhere.
    Gillian Stawiszynski, The Enquirer, 21 Aug. 2025
  • Even after she was exonerated in 2015, Knox still faced public scrutiny, despite the conviction of a man named Rudy Guede.
    Erin Jensen, USA Today, 21 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • During the 1930s, foreign leaders calculated that acting more resolutely would expend scarce domestic political capital and military means required to combat Nazi Germany in other ways.
    Foreign Affairs, Foreign Affairs, 19 Aug. 2025
  • Most courses are quite long to combat the increasing distance of the game’s best players, but everything from hole design to grass type can change weekly.
    Bennett Conlin, Baltimore Sun, 17 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • It was frowned upon to fraternize with opposing players during batting practice, so hugging them in the first inning would be totally out of the question.
    Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2025
  • But Petco Park has certainly become one of the places opposing teams talk about as being difficult to play at, and Padres players frequently express their appreciation for the energy in their home ballpark.
    Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Battle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/battle. Accessed 31 Aug. 2025.

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