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Definition of Battle
1. Noun. A hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war. "He lost his romantic ideas about war when he got into a real engagement"
Generic synonyms: Action, Military Action
Specialized synonyms: Armageddon, Pitched Battle, Naval Battle, Armed Combat, Combat, Dogfight, Assault
Group relationships: War, Warfare
Specialized synonyms: Battle Of Britain, Drogheda
Category relationships: Armed Forces, Armed Services, Military, Military Machine, War Machine
Derivative terms: Engage, Fight
2. Verb. Battle or contend against in or as if in a battle. "Sam cannot battle Sue "; "They battled over the budget"
Generic synonyms: Contend, Fight, Struggle
Specialized synonyms: Dogfight, Wrestle
Derivative terms: Battler, Combat, Combat, Combatant, Combatant, Combative
3. Noun. An energetic attempt to achieve something. "He fought a battle for recognition"
Generic synonyms: Attempt, Effort, Endeavor, Endeavour, Try
Specialized synonyms: Duel, Scramble, Scuffle, Joust, Tilt
Derivative terms: Struggle
4. Noun. An open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals). "Police tried to control the battle between the pro- and anti-abortion mobs"
Specialized synonyms: Class Struggle, Class War, Class Warfare, Insurrection, Rebellion, Revolt, Rising, Uprising, Counterinsurgency, Pacification, Strife, Tug-of-war, Turf War, Combat, Fight, Fighting, Scrap, Feud, War, Warfare
Generic synonyms: Group Action
Derivative terms: Struggle
Definition of Battle
1. a. Fertile. See Battel,
2. n. A general action, fight, or encounter, in which all the divisions of an army are or may be engaged; an engagement; a combat.
3. v. i. To join in battle; to contend in fight; as, to battle over theories.
4. v. t. To assail in battle; to fight.
Definition of Battle
1. to fight [v -TLED, -TLING, -TLES] - See also: fight
Medical Definition of Battle
1. 1. A general action, fight, or encounter, in which all the divisions of an army are or may be engaged; an engagement; a combat. 2. A struggle; a contest; as, the battle of life. "The whole intellectual battle that had at its center the best poem of the best poet of that day." (H. Morley) 3. A division of an army; a battalion. "The king divided his army into three battles." (Bacon) "The cavalry, by way of distinction, was called the battle, and on it alone depended the fate of every action." (Robertson) 4. The main body, as distinct from the van and rear; battalia. Battle is used adjectively or as the first part of a self-explaining compound; as, battle brand, a "brand" or sword used in battle; battle cry; battlefield; battle ground; battlearray; battle song. Battle piece, a painting, or a musical composition, representing a battle. Battle royal. A fight between several gamecocks, where the one that stands longest is the victor. Grose. A contest with fists or cudgels in which more than two are engaged; a melee. Thackeray. Drawn battle, one in which neither party gains the victory. To give battle, to attack an enemy. To join battle, to meet the attack; to engage in battle. Pitched battle, one in which the armies are previously drawn up in form, with a regular disposition of the forces. Wager of battle. See Wager. Synonym: Conflict, encounter, contest, action. Battle, Combat, Fight, Engagement. These words agree in denoting a close encounter between contending parties. Fight is a word of less dignity than the others. Except in poetry, it is more naturally applied to the encounter of a few individuals, and more commonly an accidental one; as, a street fight. A combat is a close encounter, whether between few or many, and is usually premeditated. A battle is commonly more general and prolonged. An engagement supposes large numbers on each side, engaged or intermingled in the conflict. Origin: OE. Bataille, bataile, F. Bataille battle, OF, battle, battalion, fr. L. Battalia, battualia, the fighting and fencing exercises of soldiers and gladiators, fr. Batuere to strike, beat. Cf. Battalia, 1st Battel, and see Batter. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)