combat

¹com·bat

noun \ˈkäm-ˌbat\

Definition of COMBAT

1

: a fight or contest between individuals or groups

2

: conflict, controversy

3

: active fighting in a war : action <casualties suffered in combat>

Examples of COMBAT

1. Some of these soldiers have never seen combat.
2. He was killed in combat.

Origin of COMBAT

Anglo-French, from combatre to attack, fight, from Vulgar Latin *combattere, from Latin com- + battuere to beat

First Known Use: 1546

Related to COMBAT

Synonyms: action, battle, field

Related Words: attack, fire, firefight, pitched battle, single combat; hostilities, operations, warfare; duty, service

Near Antonyms: truce

see all synonyms and antonyms

[+]more[-]hide

Other Military Terms

bivouac, logistics, petard, salient, sally, supernumerary, tactical

Rhymes with COMBAT

all that, at bat, at that, backchat, bath mat, bobcat, brass hat, brickbat, brown fat, brown rat, bullbat, Cassatt, chitchat, coon cat, cowpat, cravat, Croat, deep fat, defat, dingbat, doormat, expat, fat cat, fiat, firebrat, flat-hat, fly at, format, fruit bat, get at, go at, have at, hellcat, hepcat, high-hat, house cat, jurat, keep at, leaf fat, look at, Manx cat, MCAT, meerkat, milk fat, mole rat, mudflat, muscat, Muscat, muskrat, nonfat, old hat, pack rat, pick at, place mat, plug hat, polecat, pot hat, Rotblat, rug rat, salt flat, savate, silk hat, slouch hat, sneeze at, snowcat, Sobat, stand pat, standpat, stonechat, strawhat, Surat, thereat, tin hat, tipcat, tomcat, top hat, trans fat, whereat, whinchat, white hat, wildcat, wombat, wool fat