¹battle

noun, bat·tle often attributive \ˈba-t^əl\

: a military fight between groups of soldiers, ships, airplanes, etc.

: a violent fight in which people use weapons

: a fight between people or groups in which each side tries to win a contest (such as a game or an election) or to gain control of something (such as a company)

Full Definition of BATTLE

archaic : battalion

: a combat between two persons

: a general encounter between armies, ships of war, or aircraft

: an extended contest, struggle, or controversy <a battle of wits>

See battle defined for English-language learners

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Origin of BATTLE

Middle English batel, from Anglo-French bataille battle, battalion, from Late Latin battalia combat, alteration of battualia fencing exercises, from Latin battuere to beat

First Known Use: 13th century

Related to BATTLE

Synonyms: struggle, fight, fray, scrabble, throes

Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

Rhymes with BATTLE

brattle, cattle, chattel, prattle, rattle, tattle

²battle

verb

bat·tledbat·tling \ˈbat-liŋ, ˈba-t^əl-iŋ\

Definition of BATTLE

intransitive verb

: to engage in battle : fight

: to contend with full strength, vigor, skill, or resources : struggle

transitive verb

: to fight or struggle against

: to force (as one's way) by battling

— bat·tler \-lər, ˈba-t^əl-ər\ noun

First Known Use of BATTLE

14th century

Rhymes with BATTLE

brattle, prattle, rattle, tattle

³battle

verb

bat·tledbat·tling

Definition of BATTLE

transitive verb

archaic

: to fortify with battlements

Origin of BATTLE

Middle English batailen, from Anglo-French bataillier to fortify with battlements, from Old French batailles battlemented tower, probably from plural of bataille battle

First Known Use: 14th century

BATTLING Defined for Kids