battle

Meaning

1. A contest, a struggle.
2. A general action, fight, or encounter, in which all the divisions of an army are or may be engaged; a combat, an engagement.
3. A division of an army; a battalion.
4. (obsolete) The main body of an army, as distinct from the vanguard and rear; the battalia.
5. battle buddy

fight

war

make war

wage war

wage war against

difference of opinion

fight a battle

fight against

fight with

make war on

struggle against

throw stones at

engage in contest

fight one another

engage in a hand-to-hand fight

military operations

naval operations

armed fighting

battalia

clash with

knock against

military campaign

engage in battle

Frequency

Hyphenated as

bat‧tle

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈbætəl/

From Middle English batel, batell, batelle, batayle, bataylle, borrowed from Old French bataille, from Late Latin battālia, variant of battuālia (“fighting and fencing exercises”) from Latin battuō (“to strike, hit, beat, fight”), of uncertain origin. Possibly from a Gaulish or Proto-Germanic root from Proto-Indo-European *bʰedʰ- (“to stab, dig”), related to Old English beado (“battle”); or possibly from a Proto-Indo-European *bʰew- (“to hit, strike, beat”). Doublet of battalia and battel. Displaced native Old English ġefeoht, beado, camp, and wīg (“battle”), among others.

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