COMBAT (combatted, combatting)
Dictionary entry overview: What does combat mean?
• COMBAT (noun)
The noun COMBAT has 2 senses:
1. an engagement fought between two military forces
2. the act of fighting; any contest or struggle
Familiarity information: COMBAT used as a noun is rare.
• COMBAT (verb)
The verb COMBAT has 1 sense:
1. battle or contend against in or as if in a battle
Familiarity information: COMBAT used as a verb is very rare.
Dictionary entry details
• COMBAT (noun)
Meaning:
An engagement fought between two military forces
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Synonyms:
armed combat; combat
Hypernyms ("combat" is a kind of...):
battle; conflict; engagement; fight (a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war)
Domain category:
armed forces; armed services; military; military machine; war machine (the military forces of a nation)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "combat"):
belligerency; hostilities (fighting; acts of overt warfare)
trench warfare (a type of armed combat in which the opposing troops fight from trenches that face each other)
aggression (the act of initiating hostilities)
Holonyms ("combat" is a part of...):
war; warfare (the waging of armed conflict against an enemy)
Meaning:
The act of fighting; any contest or struggle
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Synonyms:
fight; fighting; combat; scrap
Context examples:
a fight broke out at the hockey game / there was fighting in the streets / the unhappy couple got into a terrible scrap
Hypernyms ("combat" is a kind of...):
battle; conflict; struggle (an open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals))
Meronyms (parts of "combat"):
blow (a powerful stroke with the fist or a weapon)
Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "combat"):
fistfight; fisticuffs; slugfest (a fight with bare fists)
banging; battering (the act of subjecting to strong attack)
beating; whipping (the act of overcoming or outdoing)
affray; disturbance; fray; ruffle (a noisy fight)
brawl; free-for-all (a noisy fight in a crowd)
cut-and-thrust; knife fight; snickersnee (fighting with knives)
gang fight; rumble (a fight between rival gangs of adolescents)
single combat (a fight between two people)
affaire d'honneur; duel (a prearranged fight with deadly weapons by two people (accompanied by seconds) in order to settle a quarrel over a point of honor)
dogfight; hassle; rough-and-tumble; scuffle; tussle (disorderly fighting)
gunfight; gunplay; shootout (a fight involving shooting small arms with the intent to kill or frighten)
brush; clash; encounter; skirmish (a minor short-term fight)
close-quarter fighting (hand-to-hand fighting at close quarters)
dogfight (a violent fight between dogs (sometimes organized illegally for entertainment and gambling))
fencing (the art or sport of fighting with swords (especially the use of foils or epees or sabres to score points under a set of rules))
in-fighting (conflict between members of the same organization (usually concealed from outsiders))
set-to (a brief but vigorous fight)
impact; shock (the violent interaction of individuals or groups entering into combat)
• COMBAT (verb)
Meaning:
Battle or contend against in or as if in a battle
Classified under:
Verbs of fighting, athletic activities
Synonyms:
battle; combat
Context examples:
The Kurds are combating Iraqi troops in Northern Iraq / We must combat the prejudices against other races / they battled over the budget
Hypernyms (to "combat" is one way to...):
contend; fight; struggle (be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight)
Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "combat"):
dogfight (engage in an aerial battle with another fighter plane)
wrestle (combat to overcome an opposing tendency or force)
Sentence frames:
Somebody ----s
Somebody ----s something
Somebody ----s somebody
