combat meaning: definition, etymology and quotations

combat

noun

UK /ˈkɒmˌbæt/ · US /ˈkɑmˌbæt/

Etymology 16th century, borrowed from Middle French combat, deverbal from Old French combatre, from Vulgar Latin *combattere, from Latin com- (“with”) + battuere (“to beat, strike”).

A battle, a fight (often one in which weapons are used).

"My tastes," he said, still smiling, "incline me to the garishly sunlit side of this planet." And, to tease her and arouse her to combat: "I prefer a farandole to a nocturne; I'd rather have a painting than an etching; Mr. Whistler bores me with his monochromatic mud; I don't like dull colours, dull sounds, dull intellects;[…]."1907 August, Robert W[illiam] Chambers, chapter VIII, in The Younger Set, New York, N.Y.: D. Appleton & Company, →OCLC:
In less than eight weeks, five divisions of United States troops have moved into combat, some of them from bases more than 6,000 miles away. More men are on the way. Fighting in difficult country under every kind of hardship, American troops have held back overwhelming numbers of the communist invaders.1950 September 1, Harry S. Truman, 0:56 from the start, in MP72-73 Korea and World Peace: President Truman Reports to the People, Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum, National Archives Identifier: 595162:

1 more example

Conditions were horrendous aboard most British naval vessels at the time. Scurvy and other diseases ran rampant, killing more seamen each year than all other causes combined, including combat.2012 March 23, William E. Carter, Merri Sue Carter, “The British Longitude Act Reconsidered”, in American Scientist, volume 100, number 2, page 87:

a struggle for victory

Derived terms: 40 terms
anticombat, armoured combat, armored combat, close combat, combatable, combat air patrol, combatant, combat armor suit, combat armour suit, combatative, combat boot, combat box, combat drone, combat engineer, combat fatigue, combat fatigues, combat general, combative, combat loading, combat log, combat pants, combat pay, combat-ready, combat roll, combat sport, combat stress reaction, combat trousers, combatworthy, combat zone, intercombat, mortal combat, mutual combat, noncombat, postcombat, post-combat, pre-combat, precombat, single combat, stage combat, trial by combat
Related terms: abate, abattoir, battalion, batter, battery, battle, debate, hors de combat, rebate

combat

verb

UK /kəmˈbæt/ · US /kəmˈbæt/

Etymology 16th century, borrowed from Middle French combat, deverbal from Old French combatre, from Vulgar Latin *combattere, from Latin com- (“with”) + battuere (“to beat, strike”).

To fight; to struggle against.

It has proven very difficult to combat drug addiction.
President Donald Trump’s administration has made combating what it considers anti-Israel and antisemitic movements on college campuses a priority. He signed an executive order during his second week in office to “combat antisemitism” in schools and on university campuses, and on February 3 announced the creation of a multiagency task force to carry out the mandate.2025 March 10, Karina Tsui and Elizabeth Wolfe, “Department of Education investigating 60 colleges and universities over antisemitism claims”, in CNN:

To fight (with); to struggle for victory (against).

To combat with a blind man I disdain.1671, John Milton, Samson Agonistes:

combat

combat

combat

Learn more