battle

noun, verb

1 [C,U] a fight between armies, ships or planes, especially during a war; a violent fight between groups of people: the battle of Waterloo * to be killed in battle * a gun battle * to go into battle seealsoPITCHEDBATTLE 2 [C] ~ (with sb) (for sth) a competition, an argument or a struggle between people or groups of people trying to win power or control: a legal battle for compensation * a battle with an insurance company * a battle of wits (= when each side uses their ability to think quickly to try to win) * a battle of wills (= when each side is very determined to win) * the battle of the sexes * the endless battle between man and nature 3 [C,usually sing.] ~ (against / for sth) a determined effort that sb makes to solve a difficult problem or succeed in a difficult situation: her long battle against cancer * to fight an uphill battle against prejudice * a battle for survival * his battle with alcoholism IDIOMS the battle lines are drawn used to say that people or groups have shown which side they intend to support in a dispute or contest that is going to begin do battle (with sb) (over sth) to fight or argue with sb: He was quite prepared to do battle with his boss over his promotion. half the battle the most important or difficult part of achieving sth: When you've got a difficult day ahead, getting a good night's sleep is often half the battle. moreatFIGHTv., JOINv. verb ~ (with / against sb/sth) (for sth) to try very hard to achieve sth difficult or to deal with sth unpleasant or dangerous: [V] She's still battling with a knee injury. * Both teams battled hard. * The two leaders are battling for control of the government. * We had to battle against the elements to reach safety. * It's vital that we keep battling away at the problem. * I had to battle hard just to stay afloat. * [VN] The two sides will battle it out in the final next week. * (AmE) He battled cancer for four years.