combat
[noun]
Synonyms:
- fight, action, battle, conflict, contest, encounter, engagement, skirmish, struggle, war, warfare
[verb]
Synonyms:
- fight, defy, do battle with, oppose, resist, withstand

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Related Words: battle, contend, war

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English Thesaurus: war, conflict, fighting, hostilities, warfare, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. com‧bat¹ /ˈkɒmbæt $ ˈkɑːm-/ noun

1. [uncountable] fighting, especially during a war
in combat
Corporal Gierson was killed in combat.
We flew over 200 combat missions.
training in unarmed combat (=fighting without weapons)
mortal combat (=fighting until one person kills another)
hand-to-hand combat (=fighting in which you are close enough to touch your opponent)
combat aircraft/jacket/boots etc

2. [countable] a fight or battle

3. combats [plural] loose trousers, often with many pockets:
She always wore combats, which were more fashionable than jeans.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. com‧bat² /ˈkɒmbæt, kəmˈbæt $ kəmˈbæt, ˈkɑːmbæt/ verb (past tense and past participle combated, present participle combating or combatted, combatting) [transitive]
[Date: 1500-1600; Language: French; Origin: combattre, from Vulgar Latin combattere, from Latin com- ( ⇒ COM-) + battuere 'to hit']
to try to stop something bad from happening or getting worse – used especially in news reports
combat inflation/crime/racism etc
To combat inflation, the government raised interest rates.
new strategies for combatting terrorism

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

combat
noun
ADJ. fierce, mortal | armed, unarmed | close, hand-to-hand | open | single | aerial
VERB + COMBAT be engaged in, be locked in, engage in The troops were locked in hand-to-hand combat.
send sb into
COMBAT + NOUN mission | zone | force, troops, unit | aircraft, vehicle | boots, fatigues, gear, jacket, kit, suit, uniform
PREP. in ~ He was killed in combat.
in ~ with The soldiers are in combat with rebel forces.
~ against in mortal combat against dragons
~ between a fierce combat between two champions

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

combat

hand-to-hand combat (=in which you are close enough to touch your opponent)
Thousands of men were killed in hand-to-hand combat in less than 24 hours.
close combat (=in which you are very near your opponent)
Swords and spears were used for close combat.
single combat (=in which you and one other person fight together)
The champion called out a challenge to single combat.
unarmed combat (=without weapons)
They were trained in the techniques of unarmed combat.
mortal combat (=until one opponent is killed)
an exciting computer game of mortal combat against giants and monsters
air/aerial combat (=fighting in the air)
30 enemy aircraft were destroyed in aerial combat.
be locked in combat (=to be using all your effort and attention to fight each other)
Their troops were locked in combat.
engage in combat with somebody formal (=to fight someone)
The President said he was aware of the danger to forces engaged in combat in the field.
combat troops/soldiers/forces/units
US combat troops were in the streets of the capital yesterday.
combat aircraft
Very few combat aircraft have been destroyed.
combat vehicles
Armoured combat vehicles appeared on the streets of the city.
a combat zone (=an area where there is fighting)
refugees from the combat zone
a combat mission/operation
He flew 280 combat missions in two wars.
combat gear (=clothes worn in battles by the armed forces)
a group of soldiers in combat gear
combat fatigues (=trousers worn in battles by the armed forces)
He was still dressed in combat fatigues and jungle boots.
combat boots
The troops were issued with steel helmets and combat boots.
combat readiness (=the state of being ready to fight)
Troops had been flown in and were in combat readiness.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

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 ▲