combat

Universal Words noun, verb noun [U,C] fighting or a fight, especially during a time of war: armed / unarmed combat (= with / without weapons) * combat troops / aircraft / uniform * He was killed in combat. * hand-to-hand / aerial combat seealsoSINGLECOMBAT verb (-t- or -tt-) [VN] 1 to stop sth unpleasant or harmful from happening or from getting worse: measures to combat crime / inflation / unemployment / disease 2 (formal) to fight against an enemy