battle
[noun]
Synonyms:
- fight, action, attack, combat, encounter, engagement, hostilities, skirmish
- conflict, campaign, contest, crusade, dispute, struggle
[verb]
Synonyms:
- struggle, argue, clamour, dispute, fight, lock horns, strive, war

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Related Words: brush, clash, encounter, pitched battle, scrimmage, skirmish, assault, attack, onset, onslaught, sortie, combat, conflict, contest, fight, hostilities, assail, bombard

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English Thesaurus: fight, battle, scuffle, punch-up, brawl, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. bat‧tle¹ W2 /ˈbætl/ noun [countable]
[Date: 1200-1300; Language: Old French; Origin: bataille, from Late Latin battalia 'fighting', from Latin battuere 'to hit']

1. FIGHT a fight between opposing armies, groups of ships, groups of people etc, especially one that is part of a larger war:
the Battle of Trafalgar
in battle
Her son was killed in battle.
into battle
a knight riding into battle
battle between
battles between government forces and the rebels
a pitched battle (=a long and serious battle) between police and drug gangs

2. COMPETITION/ARGUMENT a situation in which opposing groups or people compete or argue with each other when trying to achieve success or control:
a long-running legal battle
battle for
a battle for custody of their children
battle between
a fierce ratings battle between rival TV stations
battle with
an ongoing battle with my mother about eating properly

3. CHANGE BAD SITUATION an attempt to solve a difficult problem or change an unpleasant situation
battle against
a battle against the racism of the school system
battle with
a long battle with lung cancer
battle for
Scientology has fought long battles for acceptance as a religion.

4. be half the battle to be a difficult or important part of what you have to do:
Just getting an interview is half the battle.

5. a battle of wits a situation in which opposing sides try to win by using their intelligence:
A good mystery story is a battle of wits between author and reader.

6. battle of wills a situation in which opposing sides refuse to change what they want, in the hope that the other side will decide to change first:
a battle of wills between teacher and student

7. do battle (with somebody) to argue with someone or fight against someone:
She walked into the room with her eyes blazing, ready to do battle.

8. fight your own battles to argue with someone, or compete in a difficult situation, without having help from other people – used to show approval:
It’s all right, Mum. I can fight my own battles.

9. the battle of the sexes the relationship between men and women when it is considered as a fight for power

10. the battle of the bulge the act of trying to lose weight – used humorously

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. battle² verb

1. [intransitive and transitive] to try very hard to achieve something that is difficult or dangerous:
Firefighters battled the flames.
battle against/with
She had battled against cancer.
battle for
a pressure group battling for better schools
battle to do something
Doctors battled to save his life.

2. battle it out to keep fighting or opposing each other until one person or team wins:
Sixteen teams will battle it out.

3. [intransitive] literary to take part in a fight or war

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

battle
noun
I. between armies
ADJ. bloody, fierce | pitched The two armies fought a pitched battle on the plain.
decisive | great, important, major | famous, historic | land, naval, sea
VERB + BATTLE fight (in) | win | lose | do, give, go into, join Charles V refused to give battle. The two armies joined battle.
send sb into Many young men were sent into battle without proper training.
BATTLE + VERB begin, take place | rage | continue | be over, end
PREP. at a/the ~ Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo.
in (a/the) ~ He died in battle.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

battle
II. violent fight between two groups
ADJ. fierce | pitched | running | gun
VERB + BATTLE fight
PREP. ~ against Police fought a pitched battle against demonstrators.
~ between a gun battle between police and drug smugglers
~ with Scores of people have been hurt in running battles with police.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

battle
III. struggle
ADJ. bitter, fierce | real There's now a real battle at the top of the First Division.
constant, continuing, long, long-running, ongoing, prolonged | losing, uphill We seem to be fighting a losing battle.
successful | court, legal
VERB + BATTLE be engaged in, do, fight Are you prepared to do battle with your insurance company over the claim?
face | win | lose
BATTLE + VERB begin | be over, end
PREP. ~ against his long battle against cancer
~ between a fierce battle between developers and the local community
~ for the battle for human rights
~ over The government now faces a new battle over tax increases.
~ with They are engaged in a long-running legal battle with their neighbours.
PHRASES a battle of ideas/words, a battle of wills/wits, a battle royal (= a major battle in which all available forces take part), fight your own battles My parents believed in leaving me to fight my own battles.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

battle
verb
ADV. hard | bravely The child battled bravely for her life.
in vain Doctors battled in vain to save his life.
constantly | away We'll keep battling away and hope that the goals start to come.
PREP. against Rescuers battled against torrential rain and high winds.
for battling for control of the party
over Residents are battling over plans for a new supermarket.
through We battled through the snowstorm.
with Riot police battled with 4,000 students. battling with leukaemia
PHRASES battle it out Competitors battled it out against the clock.
battle your way He battled his way to the bar.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

battle

fight a battle (also wage a battle formal)
The police are fighting a tough battle against crime.
Many areas around here are waging a constant battle against vandalism.
win a battle
It’s essential to win the battle against inflation.
lose a battle
a brave little girl who lost her battle against cancer
face a battle
Paul faces a frantic battle to be fit for the match in November.
a long/lengthy battle
his long battle with alcoholism
an uphill battle (=one that is very difficult)
For most people losing weight is an uphill battle.
a tough/hard battle
He faces a tough battle to prove his innocence.
a constant battle
As a student, life was a constant battle against debt.
a losing battle (=one that is going to fail)
She was fighting a losing battle to stop herself from crying.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

battle
verb
BAD: Many young Americans refused to battle in Vietnam.
GOOD: Many young Americans refused to fight in Vietnam.

Usage Note:
battle = struggle to do or get something: 'Doctors are still battling to save the child's life.'
fight = use violence to hurt or kill people: 'My grandfather fought in the Spanish Civil War.'

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

fight a situation in which people hit or attack each other because of an argument, or as a sport:
He had a fight with an older boy.
the famous fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman
battle a fight between opposing armies or groups of people:
The English king was killed at the Battle of Hastings.
a battle between two rival gangs
scuffle a short fight that is not very violent:
There was a short scuffle with the police, but no arrests were made.
punch-up British English informal a fight in which people hit each other because of an argument:
The game turned into a punch-up.
brawl a noisy fight between a group of people:
He was hurt in a drunken brawl.
altercation formal a short noisy argument or fight, especially one that is not serious:
There was a brief altercation and someone called the police.
riot a fight involving a large number of people, especially people who are protesting about something:
The book provoked riots all over Europe.
campaign a planned series of actions intended to achieve something:
Motoring organizations started a campaign for safer roads.
struggle a long, hard fight for freedom, independence, equal rights etc:
Nkrumah led the people in their struggle for independence.
crusade someone’s fight against something they think is morally wrong:
She intends to continue her crusade against sex and violence on TV.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

fight a situation in which people hit or attack each other because of an argument, or as a sport:
He had a fight with an older boy.
the famous fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman
battle a fight between opposing armies or groups of people:
The English king was killed at the Battle of Hastings.
a battle between two rival gangs
scuffle a short fight that is not very violent:
There was a short scuffle with the police, but no arrests were made.
punch-up British English informal a fight in which people hit each other because of an argument:
The game turned into a punch-up.
brawl a noisy fight between a group of people:
He was hurt in a drunken brawl.
altercation formal a short noisy argument or fight, especially one that is not serious:
There was a brief altercation and someone called the police.
riot a fight involving a large number of people, especially people who are protesting about something:
The book provoked riots all over Europe.
protest to do something to show publicly that you disagree with something – used especially when a large group of people do this together:
Huge crowds gathered in the capital protesting against the war.
Drivers blocked roads around the capital to protest about the rising cost of fuel.
march to walk in a large group from one place to another in order to protest about something:
Hundreds of students marched through the city in protest against the employment laws.
demonstrate to walk or stand somewhere in a large group, in order to protest about something:
About 200 people were demonstrating outside the US Embassy.
Environmentalists have been demonstrating against plans to dump waste at sea.
boycott to protest about the actions of a company, country, or industry by refusing to buy something, or refusing to go to a place or event:
They may boycott the next Olympic Games.
Shoppers are boycotting battery-farmed eggs.
hold/stage a sit-in to protest by refusing to leave a place:
The students have been staging a sit-in to protest about overcrowding at the polytechnic.
go on a hunger strike (also go on hunger strike British English) to protest by refusing to eat:
Maynard went on a hunger strike to protest his innocence.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

fight the process in which people try to stop something bad from happening or to improve a situation:
Schools have an important part to play in the fight against drugs.
women’s fight for equality
battle a fight to change a situation or deal with a problem in society:
The battle against racial discrimination is not over.
campaign a planned series of actions intended to achieve something:
Motoring organizations started a campaign for safer roads.
struggle a long, hard fight for freedom, independence, equal rights etc:
Nkrumah led the people in their struggle for independence.
crusade someone’s fight against something they think is morally wrong:
She intends to continue her crusade against sex and violence on TV.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

try to take action in order to do something that you may not be able to do:
I tried to explain what was wrong.
He tries hard in class, but he’s finding the work difficult.
attempt to try to do something, especially something difficult. Attempt is more formal than try and is used especially in written English:
Any prisoner who attempts to escape will be shot.
He was attempting to climb one of the world’s highest mountains.
do your best to try as hard as you can to do something:
We will do our best to help them.
make an effort to do something to try to do something, when you find this difficult:
It is worth making an effort to master these skills.
She made a big effort to be nice to him.
struggle to try very hard to do something that is very difficult, especially for a long time:
She’s still struggling to give up smoking.
Many of these families are struggling to survive.
strive formal to try very hard to achieve something:
The company must constantly strive for greater efficiency.
endeavour British English, endeavor American English /ɪnˈdevə $ -ər/ formal to try hard to do something:
Each employee shall endeavour to provide customers with the best service possible.
have a go/try informal to try to do something, especially when you are not sure that you will succeed:
I’m not very good at fixing taps, but I’ll have a go.
Do you want to have another try?
see if you can do something spoken to try to do something – used when offering to do something, or suggesting that someone should do something:
I’ll see if I can get you a ticket.
See if you can persuade her to come.
fight the process in which people try to stop something bad from happening or to improve a situation:
Schools have an important part to play in the fight against drugs.
women’s fight for equality
battle a fight to change a situation or deal with a problem in society:
The battle against racial discrimination is not over.
campaign a planned series of actions intended to achieve something:
Motoring organizations started a campaign for safer roads.
crusade someone’s fight against something they think is morally wrong:
She intends to continue her crusade against sex and violence on TV.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

war noun [uncountable and countable] a situation in which there is fighting between countries or opposing groups within a country, with large numbers of soldiers and weapons:
He fought in World War II.
the horrors of war
conflict noun [uncountable and countable] a situation in which there is fighting or a war – used especially in news reports:
the conflict in the Middle East
There is increasing danger of armed conflict.
fighting noun [uncountable] a situation in which people or groups fight each other and try to kill each other:
The fighting went on for months.
Fighting in the north has resulted in hundreds of deaths.
hostilities noun [plural] formal fighting in a war:
The agreement called on the guerrillas to cease hostilities (=stop fighting) and begin peace talks.
warfare noun [uncountable] the activity of fighting in a war – used especially to talk about a method of fighting:
new and more advanced methods of warfare
chemical warfare
battle noun [uncountable and countable] an occasion when two armies, groups of ships etc fight each other in one place during a war:
the great naval battles of the Napoleonic Wars
the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805
He died in battle.
skirmish /ˈskɜːmɪʃ $ ˈskɜːr-/ noun [countable] a short fight between small groups of soldiers, ships etc, especially one that happens away from the main part of a war or battle:
There were minor skirmishes between Indian and Pakistani troops across the border.
combat noun [uncountable] the act of fighting, especially during a war:
Few of them had any experience of combat.
hand-to-hand combat
action noun [uncountable] military actions carried out by the army, navy etc of a country during a war – used especially in the following phrases:
He was killed in action in 1944.
Her son went missing in action.
Her grandfather saw action (=fought) in two world wars.
conflicting views/opinions/ideas
There are conflicting opinions on what causes the disease.
conflicting interests (=different things that people, countries etc want or think are important)
The two groups have conflicting interests.
conflicting emotions
I left home with conflicting emotions of sadness and excitement.
conflicting demands (=things that demand your attention)
the conflicting demands of work and family life
conflicting evidence
The witnesses at the trial gave conflicting evidence.
conflicting results
Scientific tests have produced conflicting results.
conflicting information
There’s a lot of conflicting information about what is best for you to eat.
conflicting advice
I’ve seen two doctors and been given conflicting advice.
conflicting reports/accounts
When questioned, the boys gave conflicting accounts of what they were doing that night.
conflicting theories
There are conflicting theories about the origin of the universe.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

battle
ˈbætl
See: half the battle

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲