Battle word meaning and definition

[noun] an energetic attempt to achieve something; "getting through the crowd was a real struggle"; "he fought a battle for recognition"
[noun] a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war; "Grant won a decisive victory in the battle of Chickamauga"; "he lost his romantic ideas about war when he got into a real engagement"
[noun] an open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals); "the harder the conflict the more glorious the triumph"--Thomas Paine; "police tried to control the battle between the pro- and anti-abortion mobs"
[verb] battle or contend against in or as if in a battle; "The Kurds are combating Iraqi troops in Nothern Iraq"; "We must combat the prejudices against other races"; "they battled over the budget"

\Bat"tle\, a. Fertile. See {Battel}, a. [Obs.]
\Bat"tle\, n. [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}, v. t. ] 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. [Obs.] 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. [Obs.] --Hayward. 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; battlearray; 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. --Grose.
(b) A contest with fists or cudgels in which more than two are engaged; a m[^e]l['e]e. --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 under {Wager}, n. Syn: Conflict; encounter; contest; action. Usage: {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.
\Bat"tle\ (b[a^]t"t'l), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Battled} (-tl'd); p. pr. & vb. n. {Battling}.] [F. batailler, fr. bataille. See {Battle}, n.] To join in battle; to contend in fight; as, to battle over theories. To meet in arms, and battle in the plain. --Prior.
\Bat"tle\, v. t. To assail in battle; to fight.

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