battled

verb

past tense of battle
1
as in competed
to engage in a contest the two teams, which have long been archrivals, will battle on the court for the state championship

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in faced
to enter into contest or conflict with the two top-seeded tennis players battled each other for almost three hours

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in fought
to oppose (someone) in physical conflict the two armies battled each other for control of the bridge

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in opposed
to strive to reduce or eliminate we must battle hunger and poverty wherever they exist

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of battled Samuel, or Samuil in Bulgarian, was a warrior emperor who battled the Byzantine Empire to expand his kingdom but was ultimately defeated and died shortly afterward in 1014. — Costas Kantouris, Arkansas Online, 4 Oct. 2026 In practice gear, the 46-year-old Haslem ran with Heat players and battled with Heat frontcourt players in one-on-one post-practice drills. — Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 3 Oct. 2026 Wiltgen arrived from Sierra Canyon, had to sit out the first part of last season and battled back from an injury. — Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026 The sophomore outside hitter had 13 kills and eight digs as the host Warriors battled to a 18-25, 25-16, 25-23 nonconference win over Oswego East in New Lenox. — Jeff Vorva, Chicago Tribune, 1 Oct. 2026 Turkey for years battled Turkish Kurdish fighters based in northern Iraq before agreeing this year to a peace deal. — Jane Arraf, NPR, 30 Sep. 2026 The Braves battled through a long list of pitching injuries that left their rotation depleted for the Wild Card Series against the Phillies. — CBS News, 29 Sep. 2026 Dennis Haskins privately battled Parkinson’s disease for eight years before his death, according to his caretaker. — Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 29 Sep. 2026 Some suburbs battled soil erosion, which ruined rivers and contaminated drinking water. — Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for battled
  1. competed
  2. faced
  3. fought
  4. opposed
  5. contended
  6. encountered
  7. combated
  8. raced
Verb
  • Jedd Fisch inherited a Washington program in 2024 that had just competed for a national championship the season prior to his arrival, but had to replace almost 100% of the team's production from a year earlier.
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Her directorial debut, Girl, competed for the Golden Lion at Venice in 2025 before earning her the Best Director award at the Busan International Film Festival.
    — Ashleigh Nghiem, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of competed
Verb
  • The country singer also asked fans to donate to the Young Center for Immigrant Rights, which helps children whose parents have faced deportations, during the opening night of her tour in Chicago back in August.
    — Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The Cornell 7 lawsuit refers to the legal document filed by an unnamed Cornell University student who accused seven men of raping and drugging her at a frat house party in October 2024 — and faced no legal consequences.
    — Payton Turkeltaub, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of faced
Verb
  • Firefighters from the district and the Sacramento Fire Department fought the blaze.
    — Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 4 Oct. 2026
  • As a mother and someone who has fought to protect the innocence of children, this crosses a line.
    — Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of fought
Verb
  • The bill was opposed by business and technology trade groups along with major medical organizations, including the California Hospital Association, which argued the measure would get in the way of AI use that supports therapists.
    — Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 2 Oct. 2026
  • The 5,670 figure appears to refer to the open letter organized by the Block the Merger coalition, signed by thousands of film and TV professionals opposed to the deal.
    — Andrew McGowan, Fortune, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of opposed
Verb
  • Some Democrats contended that the Justice Department greenlit the deal for political reasons, while warning that the Ellisons would steer CNN news coverage in a direction friendlier for the president.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Blacknell contended that four different medical professionals treated Linton after the crash and none of them concluded the wreck was tied to a bipolar episode.
    — James Queally, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of contended
Verb
  • Robotics engineers can select, adapt, and recombine individual biological mechanisms to address specific technical challenges that evolutionary pressures never encountered.
    — Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 30 Sep. 2026
  • In addition to reconsidering the role of drawing within her broader practice, the show aims to open Hesse’s work to viewers who may not have encountered the full breadth of her output, according to Tattersall.
    — Gabriella Angeleti, ARTnews.com, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of encountered
Verb
  • High winds and hilly terrain complicated efforts by firefighters, who combated the blazes with firetrucks and bulldozers.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 24 July 2026
  • High winds and hilly terrain complicated efforts by firefighters, who combated the blazes with fire trucks and bulldozers.
    — Caroline Blumberg, Los Angeles Times, 24 July 2026
Definition of combated
Verb
  • Shawn suddenly jumped up from his seat and raced to the entrance.
    — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Verstappen won the last time F1 raced at the Sepang circuit back in 2017.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of raced

Browse Nearby Words

battle cry
battled
battlefield
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Cite this Entry

“Battled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/battled. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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