combat — English Dictionary

Noun

1. A battle, a fight (often one in which weapons are used).

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

   Examples

   More examples (3)

   "My tastes," he said, still smiling, "incline me to the garishly sunlit side of this planet." And, to tease her and arouse her to combat: "I prefer a farandole to a nocturne; I'd rather have a painting than an etching; Mr. Whistler bores me with his monochromatic mud; I don't like dull colours, dull sounds, dull intellects;[…]."

   In less than eight weeks, five divisions of United States troops have moved into combat, some of them from bases more than 6,000 miles away. More men are on the way. Fighting in difficult country under every kind of hardship, American troops have held back overwhelming numbers of the communist invaders.

   Conditions were horrendous aboard most British naval vessels at the time. Scurvy and other diseases ran rampant, killing more seamen each year than all other causes combined, including combat.

2. a struggle for victory

   Usage

   • Countable
   • Uncountable

Verb

1. To fight; to struggle against.

   Usage

   • Transitive

   Examples

   It has proven very difficult to combat drug addiction.

   More examples (1)

   President Donald Trump’s administration has made combating what it considers anti-Israel and antisemitic movements on college campuses a priority. He signed an executive order during his second week in office to “combat antisemitism” in schools and on university campuses, and on February 3 announced the creation of a multiagency task force to carry out the mandate.

2. To fight (with); to struggle for victory (against).

   Usage

   • Intransitive

   Examples

   To combat with a blind man I disdain.

Noun

1. an engagement fought between two military forces

   Synonyms

   armed combat

   Broader terms

   battleconflictfightengagement

2. the act of fighting; any contest or struggle

   Synonyms

   fightfightingscrap

   Broader terms

   conflictstrugglebattle

   Examples

   a fight broke out at the hockey game

   there was fighting in the streets

   More examples (1)

   the unhappy couple got into a terrible scrap

Verb

1. battle or contend against in or as if in a battle

   Synonyms

   battle

   Broader terms

   contendfightstruggle

   Examples

   The Kurds are combating Iraqi troops in Northern Iraq

   We must combat the prejudices against other races

   More examples (1)

   they battled over the budget