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Battle   /bˈætəl/   Listen
noun
Battle  n.  
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."
3.
A division of an army; a battalion. (Obs.) "The king divided his army into three battles." "The cavalry, by way of distinction, was called the battle, and on it alone depended the fate of every action."
4.
The main body, as distinct from the van and rear; battalia. (Obs.) Note: 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; battle array; battle song.
Battle piece, a painting, or a musical composition, representing a battle.
Battle royal.
(a)
A fight between several gamecocks, where the one that stands longest is the victor.
(b)
A contest with fists or cudgels in which more than two are engaged; a mêlée.
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 under Wager, n.
Synonyms: 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.



verb
Battle  v. t.  To assail in battle; to fight.



Battle  v. i.  (past & past part. battled; pres. part. battling)  To join in battle; to contend in fight; as, to battle over theories. "To meet in arms, and battle in the plain."



adjective
Battle  adj.  Fertile. See Battel, a. (Obs.)






Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48








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"Battle" Quotes from Famous Books



... After this battle, Sir De Lacy Evans strongly recommended Lord Raglan to change his position. He was influenced in offering this advice by the total inadequacy of the English army, numerically, to occupy such extended lines, ...
— The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III. - From George III. to Victoria • E. Farr and E. H. Nolan

... such as had of old appeared very mild and gentle towards them; for they without fear plundered the effects of the slain, and carried off the spoils of those whom they slew to their own houses, as if they had been gained in a set battle; and he was esteemed a man of honor who got the greatest share, as having prevailed over the greatest number of his enemies. It was then common to see cities filled with dead bodies, still lying unburied, and those of old ...
— The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem • Flavius Josephus

... to Bunker Hill or Liberty Island, to the battle-field of New Orleans (1812), to San Francisco, to the place where any great patriotic celebration is being held, until 1900, when it will be sent to the next World's Exhibition, which takes place at Paris, ...
— Miscellaneous Writings, 1883-1896 • Mary Baker Eddy

... excited by it to mischief. When in a state of liberty they run with great swiftness, keeping pace with the speed of an ordinary horse. Upon an attack or alarm they fly to a short distance, and then suddenly face about and draw up in battle-array with surprising quickness and regularity; their horns being laid back, and their muzzles projecting. Upon the nearer approach of the danger that presses on them they make a second flight, and a second time halt and form; and this excellent mode of retreat, which but few nations ...
— The History of Sumatra - Containing An Account Of The Government, Laws, Customs And - Manners Of The Native Inhabitants • William Marsden

... still held sway at the capital and over the surrounding country, and continued its outrages against the few American citizens who still had the courage to remain within its power. To cap the climax, after the battle of Tacubaya, in April, 1859, General Marquez ordered three citizens of the United States, two of them physicians, to be seized in the hospital at that place, taken out and shot, without crime and without trial. This was done, notwithstanding our unfortunate countrymen were ...
— Complete State of the Union Addresses from 1790 to the Present • Various


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