combat

6 definitions • 13 examples

a fight, especially during a war:

combat between There was fierce combat between the two sides.

in combat No one knew how many troops had died in combat.

hand-to-hand combat The soldiers were engaged in hand-to-hand combat.

armed combat What is the minimum age at which children can engage in armed combat (= fighting with weapons)?

unarmed combat The soldiers are trained in survival and unarmed combat (= fighting without weapons).

a fight between two people or things:

combat between The film explores the combat between good and evil.

to try to stop something unpleasant or harmful from happening or increasing:

to combat crime/terrorism/inflation/disease

The government is spending millions of dollars in its attempt to combat drug abuse.

I have to combat this constant desire to eat chocolate.

fighting during a time of war:

[ U ] a combat jacket/zone/casualty

[ U ] No one knew how many troops had died in combat.

Combat is also a fight between two people or things:

[ C ] The film explores the combat between good and evil.

to try to stop something unpleasant or harmful from happening or increasing:

We must try to combat poverty and illiteracy.