battle
gb/bˈætəl/ us/bˈætəl/
B1
Anglais
~ 1400
Sens
0 sens
Nom
B1
event
1
a fight between armies
A fight between big groups of soldiers or armies.
Schéma d’usage :
[someone] fights a battle
Erreur fréquente :
Learners sometimes confuse 'battle' with 'war'. A war is a long conflict made up of many battles.
Synonymes
combat (More general term for fighting, not necessarily involving armies.)
|
engagement (A formal military term for a specific fight between forces.)
Antonymes
truce (An agreement to stop fighting, opposite of engaging in battle.)
Collocations
win a battle
|lose a battle
|battle of [place]
|fierce battle
|bloody battle
Thèmes
war
|history
|military
|politics
|law
Exemples
- The Battle of Waterloo changed the course of European history.
- The soldiers prepared for a long and difficult battle.
- They won the battle but lost many men.
Exemples pédagogiques
- The battle lasted for three days.
- The army won the battle.
- Many people died in the battle.
Verbe
B1
action
2
to fight or struggle against
To try hard to win against someone or something.
Schéma d’usage :
[someone] battles [someone/something]
Erreur fréquente :
Some learners use 'battle' only for physical fights, but it can also mean fighting against illness, problems, or challenges.
Synonymes
fight (More general term for physical or non-physical struggle.)
|
struggle (Implies great effort, often against difficulties rather than people.)
Antonymes
surrender (To give up instead of continuing to fight.)
Collocations
battle cancer
|battle opponents
|battle for control
Thèmes
conflict
|effort
|sports
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- They battled fiercely for the championship.
- She has been battling illness for years.
- The two sides battled over the new law.
Exemples pédagogiques
- He battled his opponent in the game.
- She is battling a bad cold.
- The teams battled for the prize.
Nom
B2
action
3
a serious struggle or effort
A hard effort to do something or stop something.
Schéma d’usage :
[someone] faces a battle to [verb]
Erreur fréquente :
Learners may think 'battle' always involves weapons; in this sense, it is about effort, not physical fighting.
Synonymes
struggle (More general term for effort against difficulties.)
|
fight (Can also mean determined effort, but may sound more aggressive.)
Antonymes
success (When the goal is achieved without much difficulty.)
Collocations
battle for survival
|legal battle
|uphill battle
Thèmes
effort
|life
|challenge
|core_vocabulary
Exemples
- He faces an uphill battle to change the law.
- The company is in a legal battle with its competitor.
- Her recovery has been a long battle.
Exemples pédagogiques
- It was a battle to finish the work on time.
- They are in a legal battle with the city.
- He faces a battle to stay healthy.
Grammaire
Forme canonique
battle
API
GB/bˈætəl/
US/bˈætəl/
Syllabes et accentuation
battle (1 syllabe)
Stress on 1st syllable (battle)
Formes du mot
Noun
- Base: battle
- Plural: battle, battles
Verb
- Base: battle
- 3rd Person Singular: battles
- Present Participle: battling
- Past: battled
Famille de mots
Forms
battles
noun
battling
verb
battled
verb
Related words
Advanced or less common
embattled
adjective
Expressions
an uphill battle
1/ən ˈʌphˈɪl bˈætəl/
idiom
a very hard struggle to succeed
A situation that is very hard to win or succeed in.
Exemples
- Getting funding for the project will be an uphill battle.
- Convincing them to change their minds is an uphill battle.
battle it out
1/bˈætəl ˈɪt ˈaʊt/
idiom
compete until one wins
To keep fighting or competing until one side wins.
Exemples
- The two players will battle it out in the final match.
- Several candidates are battling it out for the top job.
do battle with
1/dˈu bˈætəl wˈɪθ/
fixed phrase
fight or compete with
To fight or compete with someone or something.
Exemples
- The team will do battle with their rivals on Saturday.
- He often does battle with local authorities over planning rules.
fight a losing battle
1/fˈaɪt ə lˈuzɪŋ bˈætəl/
idiom
try something sure to fail
To try hard at something that will almost certainly fail.
Exemples
- She’s fighting a losing battle trying to change his habits.
- We are fighting a losing battle against time.