battle : Idioms & Phrases

Index


battle born state

  • noun a state in the southwestern United States
    Silver State; Nevada; NV; Sagebrush State.
WordNet

battle cruiser

  • noun a cruiser of maximum speed and firepower
WordNet

battle cry

  • noun a yell intended to rally a group of soldiers in battle
    rallying cry; war cry; war whoop.
  • noun a slogan used to rally support for a cause
    rallying cry; cry; war cry; watchword.
    • a cry to arms
    • our watchword will be `democracy'
WordNet

battle damage

  • noun loss of military equipment in battle
    combat casualty.
WordNet

battle dress

  • noun a military uniform designed for field service
WordNet

battle fatigue

  • noun a mental disorder caused by stress of active warfare
    combat neurosis; combat fatigue; shell shock.
WordNet

battle flag

  • noun a flag that leads troops into battle
WordNet

battle fleet

  • noun a fleet of warships prepared for battle
WordNet

battle group

  • noun an army unit usually consisting of five companies
WordNet

battle line

  • noun the line along which warring troops meet
WordNet

battle of atlanta

  • noun a siege in which Federal troops under Sherman cut off the railroads supplying the city and then burned it; 1864
    Atlanta.
WordNet

battle of austerlitz

  • noun a decisive battle during the Napoleonic campaigns (1805); the French under Napoleon defeated the Russian armies of Czar Alexander I and the Austrian armies of Emperor Francis II
    Austerlitz.
WordNet

battle of boyne

  • noun a battle in the War of the Grand Alliance in Ireland in 1690; William III defeated the deposed James II and so ended the Catholicism that had been reintroduced in England by the Stuarts
    Boyne.
WordNet

battle of britain

  • noun the prolonged bombardment of British cities by the German Luftwaffe during World War II and the aerial combat that accompanied it
WordNet

battle of brunanburh

  • noun a battle in 937 when Athelstan defeated the Scots
    Brunanburh.
WordNet

battle of bull run

  • noun either of two battles during the American Civil War (1861 and 1862); Confederate forces defeated the Federal army in both battles
    Bull Run.
WordNet

battle of bunker hill

  • noun the first important battle of the American War of Independence (1775) which was fought at Breed's Hill; the British defeated the colonial forces
    Bunker Hill.
WordNet

battle of caporetto

  • noun battle of World War I (1917); Italians were defeated by the Austrian and German forces
    Caporetto.
WordNet

battle of chattanooga

  • noun in the American Civil War (1863) the Union armies of Hooker, Thomas, and Sherman under the command of Ulysses S. Grant won a decisive victory over the Confederate Army under Braxton Bragg
    Chattanooga.
WordNet

battle of chickamauga

  • noun a Confederate victory in the American Civil War (1863); Confederate forces under Braxton Bragg defeated Union forces
    Chickamauga.
WordNet

battle of cowpens

  • noun battle in the American Revolution; Americans under Daniel Morgan defeated the British
    Cowpens.
WordNet

battle of crecy

  • noun the first decisive battle of the Hundred Years' War; in 1346 the English under Edward III defeated the French under Philip of Valois
    Crecy.
WordNet

battle of cunaxa

  • noun battle in 401 BC when the Artaxerxes II defeated his younger brother who tried to usurp the throne
    Cunaxa.
WordNet

battle of cynoscephalae

  • noun the battle that ended the second Macedonian War (197 BC); the Romans defeated Philip V who lost his control of Greece
    Cynoscephalae.
WordNet

battle of el alamein

  • noun a pitched battle in World War II (1942) resulting in a decisive Allied victory by British troops under Montgomery over German troops under Rommel
    Al Alamayn; El Alamein.
WordNet

battle of flodden field

  • noun a battle in 1513; the English defeated the invading Scots and James IV was killed
    Flodden.
WordNet

battle of fontenoy

  • noun a battle in 1745 in which the French army under Marshal Saxe defeated the English army and their allies under the duke of Cumberland
    Fontenoy.
WordNet

battle of fredericksburg

  • noun an important battle in the American Civil War (1862); the Union Army under A. E. Burnside was defeated by the Confederate Army under Robert E. Lee
    Fredericksburg.
WordNet

battle of gettysburg

  • noun a battle of the American Civil War (1863); the defeat of Robert E. Lee's invading Confederate Army was a major victory for the Union
    Gettysburg.
WordNet

battle of granicus river

  • noun the battle in which Alexander won his first major victory against the Persians (334 BC)
    Granicus.
WordNet

battle of guadalcanal

  • noun a battle in World War II in the Pacific (1942-1943); the island was occupied by the Japanese and later recaptured by American forces
    Guadalcanal.
WordNet

battle of hastings

  • noun the decisive battle in which William the Conqueror (duke of Normandy) defeated the Saxons under Harold II (1066) and thus left England open for the Norman Conquest
    Hastings.
WordNet

battle of hohenlinden

  • noun a battle during the Napoleonic Wars (1800); the French defeated the Austrians
    Hohenlinden.
WordNet

battle of ipsus

  • noun a battle between the successors of Alexander the Great (301 BC); Lysimachus and Seleucus defeated Antigonus and Demetrius
    Ipsus.
WordNet

battle of issus

  • noun a battle (333 BC) in which Alexander the Great defeated the Persians under Darius III
    Issus.
WordNet

battle of ivry

  • noun a battle (1590) in which the Huguenots under Henry IV defeated the Catholics under the duke of Mayenne
    Ivry; Ivry la Bataille.
WordNet

battle of jena

  • noun the battle in 1806 in which Napoleon decisively defeated the Prussians
    Jena.
WordNet

battle of jutland

  • noun an indecisive naval battle in World War I (1916); fought between the British and German fleets off the northwestern coast of Denmark
    Jutland.
WordNet

battle of kerbala

  • noun a battle in 680 in which the grandson of Mohammed and his followers were killed
    • the Battle of Kerbala is the basis for the Ta'ziyehs that are performed annually
WordNet

battle of lake trasimenus

  • noun a battle in 217 BC in which Hannibal ambushed a Roman army led by Flaminius
    Lake Trasimenus.
WordNet

battle of langside

  • noun (1568) Catholic forces supporting Mary Queen of Scots were routed by Protestants
    Langside.
WordNet

battle of lepanto

  • noun Turkish sea power was destroyed in 1571 by a league of Christian nations organized by the Pope
    Lepanto.
WordNet

battle of leuctra

  • noun Thebes defeated Sparta in 371 BC; the battle ended Sparta's military supremacy in Greece
    Leuctra.
WordNet

battle of little bighorn

  • noun a battle in Montana near the Little Bighorn River between United States cavalry under Custer and several groups of Native Americans (1876); Custer was pursuing Sioux led by Sitting Bull; Custer underestimated the size of the Sioux forces (which were supported by Cheyenne warriors) and was killed along with all his command
    Custer's Last Stand; Battle of Little Bighorn; Little Bighorn.
WordNet

battle of lule burgas

  • noun the principal battle of the Balkan Wars (1912); Bulgarian forces defeated the Turks
    Lule Burgas.
WordNet

battle of lutzen

  • noun a battle in the Thirty Years' War (1632); Swedes under Gustavus Adolphus defeated the Holy Roman Empire under Wallenstein; Gustavus Adolphus was killed
    Lutzen.
WordNet

battle of magenta

  • noun a battle in 1859 in which the French and Sardinian forces under Napoleon III defeated the Austrians under Francis Joseph I
    Magenta.
WordNet

battle of maldon

  • noun a battle in which the Danes defeated the Saxons in 991; celebrated in an old English poem
    Maldon.
WordNet

battle of marathon

  • noun a battle in 490 BC in which the Athenians and their allies defeated the Persians
    Marathon.
WordNet

battle of marston moor

  • noun a battle in 1644 in which the Parliamentarians under the earl of Manchester defeated the Royalists under Prince Rupert
    Marston Moor.
WordNet

battle of midway

  • noun naval battle of World War II (June 1942); American planes based on land and on carriers decisively defeated a Japanese fleet on its way to invade the Midway Islands
    Midway.
WordNet

battle of minden

  • noun a battle in the Seven Years' War (1759) in which the English forces and their allies defeated the French
    Minden.
WordNet

battle of monmouth

  • noun a pitched battle in New Jersey during the American Revolution (1778) that ended with the withdrawal of British forces
    Battle of Monmouth; Monmouth Court House.
WordNet

battle of monmouth court house

  • noun a pitched battle in New Jersey during the American Revolution (1778) that ended with the withdrawal of British forces
    Battle of Monmouth; Monmouth Court House.
WordNet

battle of naseby

  • noun a battle in 1645 that settled the outcome of the first English Civil War as the Parliamentarians won a major victory over the Royalists
    Naseby.
WordNet

battle of navarino

  • noun a decisive naval battle in the War of Greek Independence (1827); the Turkish and Egyptian fleet was defeated by an allied fleet of British and French and Russian warships
    Navarino.
WordNet

battle of omdurman

  • noun a battle (1898) in which an English and Egyptian army under Kitchener defeated the Sudanese
    Omdurman.
WordNet

battle of panipat

  • noun battle in which the ruler of Afghanistan defeated the Mahrattas in 1761
    Panipat.
WordNet

battle of pharsalus

  • noun Caesar defeated Pompey in 48 BC
    Pharsalus.
WordNet

battle of philippi

  • noun Octavian and Mark Antony defeated Brutus and Cassius in 42 BC
    Philippi.
WordNet

battle of pittsburgh landing

  • noun the second great battle of the American Civil War (1862); the battle ended with the withdrawal of Confederate troops but it was not a Union victory
    battle of Pittsburgh Landing; Shiloh.
WordNet

battle of plassey

  • noun the victory in 1757 by the British under Clive over Siraj-ud-daula that established British supremacy over Bengal
    Plassey.
WordNet

battle of plataea

  • noun a defeat of the Persian army by the Greeks at Plataea in 479 BC
    Plataea.
WordNet

battle of poitiers

  • noun the battle in 1356 in which the English under the Black Prince defeated the French
    Poitiers.
WordNet

battle of puebla

  • noun a battle in which Mexican forces defeated the French in 1862
WordNet

battle of pydna

  • noun a major victory by the Romans over the Macedonians in 168 BC; resulted in the downfall of the ancient Macedonian kingdom
    Pydna.
WordNet

battle of ravenna

  • noun a battle between the French and an alliance of Spaniards and Swiss and Venetians in 1512
    Ravenna.
WordNet

battle of rocroi

  • noun a battle in the Thirty Years' War (1643); the French defeated the Spanish invaders
    Rocroi.
WordNet

battle of rossbach

  • noun a battle in the Seven Years' War (1757); Prussian forces under Frederick the Great defeated the armies of France and Austria
    Rossbach.
WordNet

battle of saratoga

  • noun a battle during the American Revolution (1777); the British under Burgoyne were defeated
    Saratoga.
WordNet

battle of sempatch

  • noun the Swiss Confederation escaped Hapsburg domination by their victory in 1386
    Sempatch.
WordNet

battle of shiloh

  • noun the second great battle of the American Civil War (1862); the battle ended with the withdrawal of Confederate troops but it was not a Union victory
    battle of Pittsburgh Landing; Shiloh.
WordNet

battle of soissons-reims

  • noun a battle in World War I (May 1918); the Germans tried to attack before the American numbers were too great to defeat; the tactical success of the Germans proved to be a strategic failure
    Soissons; battle of the Aisne; battle of Soissons-Reims.
WordNet

battle of solferino

  • noun an indecisive battle in 1859 between the French and Sardinians under Napoleon III and the Austrians under Francis Joseph I
    Solferino.
WordNet

battle of spotsylvania courthouse

  • noun a battle between the armies of Grant and Lee during the Wilderness Campaign
    Spotsylvania.
WordNet

battle of st mihiel

  • noun a battle in the Meuse-Argonne operation in World War I (1918); the battle in which American troops launched their first offensive in France
    Saint-Mihiel; St Mihiel.
WordNet

battle of tannenberg

  • noun a battle in World War I (1914); decisive German victory over the Russians
    Tannenberg.
WordNet

battle of tertry

  • noun a battle in France in 687 among the descendants of Clovis
    Tertry.
WordNet

battle of teutoburger wald

  • noun a battle in 9 AD in which the Germans under Arminius annihilated three Roman Legions
    Teutoburger Wald.
WordNet

battle of tewkesbury

  • noun the final battle of the War of the Roses in 1471 in which Edward IV defeated the Lancastrians
    Tewkesbury.
WordNet

battle of the aisne

  • noun a battle in World War I (May 1918); the Germans tried to attack before the American numbers were too great to defeat; the tactical success of the Germans proved to be a strategic failure
    Soissons; battle of the Aisne; battle of Soissons-Reims.
WordNet

battle of the ardennes bulge

  • noun a battle during World War II; in December 1944 von Rundstedt launched a powerful counteroffensive in the forest at Ardennes and caught the Allies by surprise
    Ardennes counteroffensive; Battle of the Ardennes Bulge.
WordNet

battle of the bismarck sea

  • noun a naval battle in World War II; Allied land-based bombers destroyed a Japanese convoy in the Bismarck Sea in March 1943
    Bismarck Sea.
WordNet

battle of the bulge

  • noun a battle during World War II; in December 1944 von Rundstedt launched a powerful counteroffensive in the forest at Ardennes and caught the Allies by surprise
    Ardennes counteroffensive; Battle of the Ardennes Bulge.
WordNet

battle of the chemin-des-dames

  • noun a battle in World War I (May 1918); the Germans tried to attack before the American numbers were too great to defeat; the tactical success of the Germans proved to be a strategic failure
    Soissons; battle of the Aisne; battle of Soissons-Reims.
WordNet

battle of the coral sea

  • noun a Japanese defeat in World War II (May 1942); the first naval battle fought entirely by planes based on aircraft carriers
    Coral Sea.
WordNet

battle of the little bighorn

  • noun a battle in Montana near the Little Bighorn River between United States cavalry under Custer and several groups of Native Americans (1876); Custer was pursuing Sioux led by Sitting Bull; Custer underestimated the size of the Sioux forces (which were supported by Cheyenne warriors) and was killed along with all his command
    Custer's Last Stand; Battle of Little Bighorn; Little Bighorn.
WordNet

battle of the marne

  • noun a World War I battle in northwestern France where the Allies defeated the Germans in 1918
    Belleau Wood; Marne River; Chateau-Thierry.
WordNet

battle of the philippine sea

  • noun a naval battle in World War II (1944); a decisive naval victory for the United States fleet over the Japanese who were trying to block supplies from reaching American troops on Leyte
    Philippine Sea.
WordNet

battle of the somme

  • noun battle of World War II (1944)
    Somme; Somme River.
  • noun battle in World War I (1916)
    Somme; Somme River.
WordNet

battle of the spanish armada

  • noun in the English Channel a small fleet of British ships successfully defeated the large armada sent from Spain by Philip II to invade England
WordNet

battle of thermopylae

  • noun a famous battle in 480 BC; a Greek army under Leonidas was annihilated by the Persians who were trying to conquer Greece
    Thermopylae.
WordNet

battle of trafalgar

  • noun a naval battle in 1805 off the southwest coast of Spain; the French and Spanish fleets were defeated by the English under Nelson (who was mortally wounded)
    Trafalgar.
WordNet

battle of trasimeno

  • noun a battle in central Italy where Hannibal defeated the Romans under Flaminius in 217 BC
    Trasimeno.
WordNet

battle of valmy

  • noun the French defeated the Austrian and Prussian troops in 1792 (with a famous cannonade from the French artillery)
    Valmy.
WordNet

battle of verdun

  • noun a battle in World War I (1916); in some of the bloodiest fighting in World War I the German offensive was stopped
    Verdun.
WordNet

battle of wagram

  • noun a battle in the Napoleonic campaigns (1809); Napoleon defeated the Austrians
    Wagram.
WordNet

battle of wake

  • noun in December 1941 the island was captured by the Japanese after a gallant last-ditch stand by a few hundred United States marines
    Battle of Wake.
WordNet

battle of wake island

  • noun in December 1941 the island was captured by the Japanese after a gallant last-ditch stand by a few hundred United States marines
    Battle of Wake.
WordNet

battle of waterloo

  • noun the battle on 18 June 1815 in which Prussian and British forces under Blucher and the Duke of Wellington routed the French forces under Napoleon
    Waterloo.
WordNet

battle of wits

  • noun a contest in which intelligence rather than violence is used
WordNet

battle of ypres

  • noun battle in World War I (1917); an Allied offensive which eventually failed because tanks bogged down in the waterlogged soil of Flanders; Germans introduced mustard gas which interfered with the Allied artillery
    Ypres; battle of Ypres.
  • noun battle in World War I (1915); Germans wanted to try chlorine (a toxic yellow gas) as a weapon and succeeded in taking considerable territory from the Allied salient
    Ypres; battle of Ypres.
  • noun battle in World War I (1914); heavy but indecisive fighting as the Allies and the Germans both tried to break through the lines of the others
    Ypres; battle of Ypres.
WordNet

battle of zama

  • noun the battle in 202 BC in which Scipio decisively defeated Hannibal at the end of the second Punic War
    Zama.
WordNet

Battle piece

  • a painting, or a musical composition, representing a battle.
Webster 1913

battle plan

  • noun plan for conducting a battle
WordNet

Battle royal

  • noun a noisy riotous fight
    melee; scrimmage.
WordNet
  • . (a) A fight between several gamecocks, where the one that stands longest is the victor. Grose. (b) A contest with fists or cudgels in which more than two are engaged; a mêlée. Thackeray.
Webster 1913

battle sight

  • noun an arrangement of sights that makes possible the rapid aiming of a firearm at short ranges
    battlesight.
WordNet

battle-ax

  • noun a broadax used as a weapon
    battle-ax.
  • noun a sharp-tongued domineering wife
    battle-ax.
WordNet
Bat"tle-ax`, Bat"tle-axe` noun (Also<
  • Battle-ax
  • Battle-axe
)
Definitions
  1. (Mil.) A kind of broadax formerly used as an offensive weapon.
Webster 1913

battle-axe

  • noun a sharp-tongued domineering wife
    battle-ax.
  • noun a broadax used as a weapon
    battle-ax.
WordNet
Bat"tle-ax`, Bat"tle-axe` noun (Also<
  • Battle-ax
  • Battle-axe
)
Definitions
  1. (Mil.) A kind of broadax formerly used as an offensive weapon.
Webster 1913

battle-scarred

  • adjective satellite scarred by battle
WordNet

custody battle

  • noun litigation to settle custody of the children of a divorced couple
WordNet

Drawn battle

  • one in which neither party gains the victory.
Webster 1913

Drawn gamebattle

  • one in which neither party wins; one equally contested.
Webster 1913

field of battle

  • noun a region where a battle is being (or has been) fought
    battlefield; battleground; field; field of honor.
    • they made a tour of Civil War battlefields
WordNet

first battle of ypres

  • noun battle in World War I (1914); heavy but indecisive fighting as the Allies and the Germans both tried to break through the lines of the others
    Ypres; battle of Ypres.
WordNet

join battle

  • verb engage in a conflict
    • The battle over health care reform was joined
WordNet

Line of battle

  • noun a line formed by troops or ships prepared to deliver or receive an attack
WordNet
  • . (a) (Mil Tactics) The position of troops drawn up in their usual order without any determined maneuver . (b) (Naval) The line or arrangement formed by vessels of war in an engagement.
Webster 1913

Line of battle ship

  • . See Ship of the line, below.
Webster 1913

  • noun a pitched battle between naval fleets
WordNet

Order of battle

  • (Mil.), the particular disposition given to the troops of an army on the field of battle.
Webster 1913

Pitched battle

  • noun a fierce battle fought in close combat between troops in predetermined positions at a chosen time and place
WordNet
  • a general battle; a battle in which the hostile forces have fixed positions; in distinction from a skirmish.
  • one in which the armies are previously drawn up in form, with a regular disposition of the forces.
Webster 1913

Plain battle

  • open battle; pitched battle. Obs. Chaucer.
Webster 1913

second battle of ypres

  • noun battle in World War I (1915); Germans wanted to try chlorine (a toxic yellow gas) as a weapon and succeeded in taking considerable territory from the Allied salient
    Ypres; battle of Ypres.
WordNet

third battle of ypres

  • noun battle in World War I (1917); an Allied offensive which eventually failed because tanks bogged down in the waterlogged soil of Flanders; Germans introduced mustard gas which interfered with the Allied artillery
    Ypres; battle of Ypres.
WordNet

To give battle

  • to attack an enemy.
Webster 1913

To join battle

  • to meet the attack; to engage in battle.
Webster 1913

To join battle, To join issue

  • . See under Battle, Issue.
Webster 1913

To wage battle

  • (O. Eng. Law), to give gage, or security, for joining in the duellum, or combat. See Wager of battel, under Wager, n. Burrill.
Webster 1913

Wager of battel, ∨ Wager of battle

  • (O. Eng. Law), the giving of gage, or pledge, for trying a cause by single combat, formerly allowed in military, criminal, and civil causes. In writs of right, where the trial was by champions, the tenant produced his champion, who, by throwing down his glove as a gage, thus waged, or stipulated, battle with the champion of the demandant, who, by taking up the glove, accepted the challenge. The wager of battel, which has been long in disuse, was abolished in England in 1819, by a statute passed in consequence of a defendant's having waged his battle in a case which arose about that period. See Battel.
Webster 1913

Wager of battle

  • . See under Wager, n.
Webster 1913