battle

A battle is a fight. It could be part of a war or a nonmilitary conflict between groups or individuals:

• A battle between Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. Congress has resulted in a shutdown of the government.
• The Battle of the Bulge was a famous battle fought in Belgium during World War II.
• The soccer match we watched was an interesting battle between two great teams.
• A disagreement between two gangs ended in a street battle involving guns.
• The people who were opposed to the development of a high-rise building lost their battle against the developers.
• The battle between the sister and the brother resulted in a draw. No one won.
• After several years of battle, the two sides finally reached an agreement and signed a truce. (truce: an agreement to end a military conflict.)
• The battle at sea lasted for hours.

a battle at sea

This word is also used as a verb:

• Contestants battled it out during the competition.
• Syrian rebels continue to battle against the government and against each other.
• The bicyclists are battling to get ahead of each other.
• Those two companies have been battling each other in the marketplace for over two decades.

Note: Sometimes a "t" in the middle of a word sounds like a "d."

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October 2, 2013