First published 1891; not yet revised More entries for "combat"

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combatnoun

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Earlier version

combat, n. in OED Second Edition (1989)

1. 1.a.
  1567–
  
  An encounter or fight between two armed persons (parties, animals, etc.), a duel; spec. as in trial by combat, a duel allowed by law for the formal decision of a cause or dispute; = battle n. I.2.
  [Britton (1292) has combattre, but instead of combat, bataille appears: cf. battle n. I.2]
  1567
  Then the fiercest fight of all and combat did arise.
  G. Turberville, Epitaphes, Epigrams f. 48^v
  1569
  A battaile or Combate done and holden in the Kings Palayce at Westminster, betwene one called Garcon Appellaunt, and Sir John Anslye Knight Defendaunt.
  R. Grafton, Chronicle vol. II. 346
  1569
  The Duke of Norffolk affirmed constantly hys tale to be true, and refused not the Combate.
  R. Grafton, Chronicle vol. II. 396
  1590
  His cause in combat the next day to try.
  E. Spenser, Faerie Queene i.iv. sig. D6
  1617
  Combat in our Common Law is taken for a formall triall of a doubtfull cause or quarrell by the sword or bastons, of two champions.
  J. Minsheu, Ἡγεμὼν είς τὰς γλῶσσας: Ductor in Linguas
  1667
  Where Champions bold..Defi'd the best of Panim chivalry To mortal combat.
  J. Milton, Paradise Lost i. 766
  1827
  That the difference should be decided by a combat of thirty men of the Clan Chattan, against the same number of the Clan Kay.
  W. Scott, Tales of Grandfather (1841) 1st Series xvii. 57/1
  1828
  It seemed..most desirable that the combat should be a strife of extermination.
  W. Scott, Fair Maid of Perth ix, in Chronicles of Canongate 2nd Series vol. II. 265
  1857
  Orlando..challenged him to mortal combat.
  H. T. Buckle, History of Civilization in England vol. I. vi. 294
  law
  society armed hostility armed encounter [nouns] single combat or duel
  handplayOld English–
  
  Hand-to-hand fighting. Cf. swordplay, n.
  deraignc1300–1708
  
  The action of vindicating or maintaining one's right, esp. by wager of battle; hence, a challenge to single combat; a combat; a duel.
  battlea1400–
  
  A fight between two persons, a single combat, a duel. trial by battle: the legal decision of a dispute by the issue of a single combat.
  duellation1502
  
  A duel; an instance of single combat.
  two-hand battlec1503–
  
  Done, or worked, by two persons: = two-handed, adj. 2.†two-hand battle, a single combat, a duel (obsolete).
  combat1567–
  
  An encounter or fight between two armed persons (parties, animals, etc.), a duel; spec. as in trial by combat, a duel allowed by law for the…
  push of pick1578–1659
  
  push of pick and variants: = push of pike n. at pike, n.⁴ phrases P.3.
  monomachy1582–
  
  A combat or contest between two people or opposing forces; a duel; a fight involving single combat. Also: combat of this nature.
  combacy1586
  
  Combat.
  hand fight1587–
  
  A fight at close quarters, or hand to hand.
  duel1589–
  
  A formal or arranged combat between two people, with the aim of settling a personal quarrel between the combatants or deciding a point of honour.
  rencounter1590–
  
  A hostile engagement between two individuals; a fight; spec. a duel. Now chiefly historical.
  single fight1598–
  
  A combat, battle. With various qualifying attributes. sham fight: a mimic battle (intended to exercise or test the troops engaged, or simply for…
  field meeting1603
  
  A duel conducted in the open air. Obsolete. rare.
  camp-fight1605–98
  
  ‘In law writers [from 17th cent.] the trial of a cause by duel, or a legal combat of two champions in the field, for decision of some…
  duello1606–1927
  
  A duel (literal and figurative). Obsolete.
  judicial combat1610–
  
  Designating a duel or battle carried out to resolve a legal dispute or settle a case; esp. in judicial combat, judicial duel. Cf. trial by combat at c…
  fight of stand?1611
  
  A hand-to-hand fight; = stand-fight, n.
  stand-fight?1611
  
  A hand-to-hand fight; cf. fight of stand n. at stand, n.¹ phrases P.2.
  business1612–40
  
  An ‘affair of honour’; a duel. Chiefly in to carry a business. Obsolete.
  monomachia1624–
  
  = monomachy, n.
  single combat1625–
  
  Hence, single combat.
  single field1630–
  
  Single combat; an instance of this.
  duelliona1637
  
  A duel; a (perhaps violent) argument.
  rencontrea1722–
  
  = rencounter, n. 1b. Now rare.
  affair of honour1737–
  
  A prearranged contest fought with a rival in order to defend one's honour or reputation; a duel.
  meeting1813–
  
  A duel. Now historical and rare.
  student duel1824–
  
  A duel between students; spec. (in Germany and Austria) = mensur, n. 2.
  holmgang1847–
  
  A duel to the death.
  mensur1848–
  
  In Germany and Austria: a fencing duel between students, fought usually with partially blunted weapons.
  duomachy1885–
  
  A fight of two; single combat.
  View in Historical Thesaurus
  society law administration of justice court proceedings or procedure trying or hearing of cause [nouns] trial trial by combat
  judgementc1300–
  
  The action of trying a case in a court of law; trial.
  duelc1475–
  
  An episode of single combat, engaged in as an agreed means of settling a legal dispute or case; a judicial combat. Now historical.
  combat1567–
  
  An encounter or fight between two armed persons (parties, animals, etc.), a duel; spec. as in trial by combat, a duel allowed by law for the…
  duellum1596–
  
  A duel (esp. in sense 1).
  trial1597–
  
  The determination of a person's guilt or innocence, or the righteousness of his cause, by a combat between the accuser and accused (trial by battle, b…
  duel-trial1631
  
  = duel, n. 1.
  View in Historical Thesaurus
2. 1.b.
  1625–
  
  Hence, single combat.
  1625
  It was also my chance in single combate to take the King of Paspahegh prisoner.
  S. Purchas, Pilgrimes vol. IV. x. iii. 1841
  1632
  A single Combat between a Spanish Earl and a Scottish Traveller.
  W. Lithgow, Totall Discourse Trauayles (1682) x. 460 (margin)
  1711
  These brave Men had distinguished themselves in the Battle and in single Combat.
  J. Addison, Spectator No. 70. ¶8
  1835
  Hyllus.. proposed to decide the quarrel by single combat.
  C. Thirlwall, History of Greece vol. I. 255
  society armed hostility armed encounter [nouns] single combat or duel
  handplayOld English–
  
  Hand-to-hand fighting. Cf. swordplay, n.
  deraignc1300–1708
  
  The action of vindicating or maintaining one's right, esp. by wager of battle; hence, a challenge to single combat; a combat; a duel.
  battlea1400–
  
  A fight between two persons, a single combat, a duel. trial by battle: the legal decision of a dispute by the issue of a single combat.
  duellation1502
  
  A duel; an instance of single combat.
  two-hand battlec1503–
  
  Done, or worked, by two persons: = two-handed, adj. 2.†two-hand battle, a single combat, a duel (obsolete).
  combat1567–
  
  An encounter or fight between two armed persons (parties, animals, etc.), a duel; spec. as in trial by combat, a duel allowed by law for the…
  push of pick1578–1659
  
  push of pick and variants: = push of pike n. at pike, n.⁴ phrases P.3.
  monomachy1582–
  
  A combat or contest between two people or opposing forces; a duel; a fight involving single combat. Also: combat of this nature.
  combacy1586
  
  Combat.
  hand fight1587–
  
  A fight at close quarters, or hand to hand.
  duel1589–
  
  A formal or arranged combat between two people, with the aim of settling a personal quarrel between the combatants or deciding a point of honour.
  rencounter1590–
  
  A hostile engagement between two individuals; a fight; spec. a duel. Now chiefly historical.
  single fight1598–
  
  A combat, battle. With various qualifying attributes. sham fight: a mimic battle (intended to exercise or test the troops engaged, or simply for…
  field meeting1603
  
  A duel conducted in the open air. Obsolete. rare.
  camp-fight1605–98
  
  ‘In law writers [from 17th cent.] the trial of a cause by duel, or a legal combat of two champions in the field, for decision of some…
  duello1606–1927
  
  A duel (literal and figurative). Obsolete.
  judicial combat1610–
  
  Designating a duel or battle carried out to resolve a legal dispute or settle a case; esp. in judicial combat, judicial duel. Cf. trial by combat at c…
  fight of stand?1611
  
  A hand-to-hand fight; = stand-fight, n.
  stand-fight?1611
  
  A hand-to-hand fight; cf. fight of stand n. at stand, n.¹ phrases P.2.
  business1612–40
  
  An ‘affair of honour’; a duel. Chiefly in to carry a business. Obsolete.
  monomachia1624–
  
  = monomachy, n.
  single combat1625–
  
  Hence, single combat.
  single field1630–
  
  Single combat; an instance of this.
  duelliona1637
  
  A duel; a (perhaps violent) argument.
  rencontrea1722–
  
  = rencounter, n. 1b. Now rare.
  affair of honour1737–
  
  A prearranged contest fought with a rival in order to defend one's honour or reputation; a duel.
  meeting1813–
  
  A duel. Now historical and rare.
  student duel1824–
  
  A duel between students; spec. (in Germany and Austria) = mensur, n. 2.
  holmgang1847–
  
  A duel to the death.
  mensur1848–
  
  In Germany and Austria: a fencing duel between students, fought usually with partially blunted weapons.
  duomachy1885–
  
  A fight of two; single combat.
  View in Historical Thesaurus
2.
1582–

gen. A fight between opposing forces; struggle, contest; usually on a smaller scale than a battle. (Used both with and without a and plural)
[Hart's ed. (1616) of Barbour's Bruce ii. 438 has Giff thai will chace Quyt thaim combat sum dele we sall [MS. reading (Skeat) Quyt thaim torn but sum-dele we sall.]
1582
In valiant coombat thee Troians sturdye resisted.
R. Stanyhurst, translation of Virgil, First Foure Bookes Æneis ii. 34
1632
The Maister resolued to make combate below..to saue vs from small shot.
W. Lithgow, Totall Discourse Trauayles 61
1653
Eight hundred Mahometans, men of combat.
H. Cogan, translation of F. M. Pinto, Voyages & Adventures xlix. 193
1839
Alexander had appeared to him, armed for combat.
C. Thirlwall, History of Greece vol. VII. 363
1855
In a succession of combats the advantage was on the side of the confederates.
T. B. Macaulay, History of England vol. III. 437
society armed hostility armed encounter [nouns]
fightOld English–

A combat, battle. A hostile encounter or engagement between opposing forces; = battle, n. I.1. Now archaic or rhetorical.
stourc1325–

An armed combat or conflict; esp. a contest in battle; a fight. Obsolete exc. archaic.
acounterc1330–1500

An armed encounter; an attack.
meetingc1330–1596

An armed encounter; a fight, a battle. Obsolete.
setc1330

? A setting oneself to fight, encounter, attack. Obsolete.
showera1375–1576

A military assault or attack; (also) an armed conflict, a battle. Also figurative. Obsolete.
coursec1380–

A charge on horseback towards an opponent, performed by combatants in battle or in a jousting tournament. historical after the early 17th century.
brusha1400–

A forcible rush, a hostile collision or encounter; in later use, chiefly a short but smart encounter.
semblya1400–1600

Hostile meeting, conflict; = assembly, n. I.3.
hosting1422–

The raising of a host or armed multitude; hostile encounter or array, raid; an encampment; (formerly, esp. in Ireland) a military expedition.
poynyec1425–1550

A fight, a skirmish.
conflictc1440–

An encounter with arms; a fight, battle.
militancea1460

Combat or warfare. Also: the Church Militant (church, n.¹ & adj.compounds C.2). Obsolete.
grate1460–1509

Collision (of weapons). Cf. grate, v.¹ 6.
rencounter1471–

An encounter or engagement between two opposing military forces; a battle, a skirmish.
chaplea1500

A fierce combat or encounter.
flitea1513

A contest, struggle. Obsolete.
concourse?1520–1667

Hostile encounter or onset. Obsolete.
concursion1533–

Running or rushing together; concourse.
rescounter1543–1683

An encounter, meeting, esp. a hostile or competitive one. Cf. recounter, n.¹ 2a, rencounter, n. 1. Obsolete.
spurnc1560

An encounter, fray. Obsolete. rare.
rencontrea1572–

= rencounter, n. 1a. Now rare.
discourse1573–1619

Course of arms (cf. course, n.¹ A.I.4); combat. Obsolete.
action1579–

A military engagement, a battle.
combat1582–

gen. A fight between opposing forces; struggle, contest; usually on a smaller scale than a battle. (Used both with and without a and plural)
opposition1598–1655

A fight between two opposing combatants or forces; armed combat. Obsolete.
do1915–

Originally English regional and nonstandard. A social event, a party; a performance or show. Also in extended use: spec. (originally humorous) a…
View in Historical Thesaurus
3.
1567–

figurative. A conflict; struggle, strife; controversy.
1567
They haue not..battel & combate, Against the cogitations that inwardly spring.
Triall of Treasure sig. C
a1616
The Noble Combat, that 'twixt Ioy and Sorrow was fought in Paulina.
W. Shakespeare, Winter's Tale (1623) v. ii. 73
1651
The combate of wits.
T. Hobbes, Philosophicall Rudiments i. §5. 9
1875
Is courage only a combat against fear and pain?
B. Jowett in translation of Plato, Dialogues (ed. 2) vol. V. 33
society society and the community dissent contention or strife [nouns] an act or instance of
fliteOld English–1600

Contention, strife, a dispute; also, abuse, an abusive speech. Obsolete.
strifea1225–

An act or instance of contention or antagonism; a contest or conflict, a quarrel or dispute.
wara1300–

In particularized sense: A contest between armed forces carried on in a campaign or series of campaigns.
pulla1400–

Originally: †a turn or bout of pulling or grappling with another person, in wrestling or some other kind of struggle or fight (obsolete). Later: (in…
lakec1420–1600

A fight, contest.
contenta1450–84

A contention, dispute, quarrel.
stour?c1450–1807

figurative. A conflict waged with immaterial weapons; a struggle with pain or adversity. Obsolete.
contentiona1500–

(With a and plural) A particular act of strife; a quarrel, contest, dispute.
pingle1543–1846

A fierce contest or fight; contention, open disagreement. Obsolete.
agony1555–

A struggle, a contest.
feudc1565–

A quarrel, contention, bickering.
combat1567–

figurative. A conflict; struggle, strife; controversy.
skirmish1576–

transferred. Any contest or encounter.
grapple1604–

The action of grappling, or grappling with; the state of being grappled; the grip or close hold of a wrestler; a contest in which the combatants grip…
counter-scuffle1628–1703

A scuffle between opposing parties or persons. (Sometimes, humorously, a scuffle in the Counter prison.)
scuffle1641–

transferred and figurative. Now rare. Formerly often, †a heated controversy.
agon1649–

A painful struggle, esp. a psychological one; a conflict, fight, competition.
tug1660–

A strenuous contest between two forces or persons.
tug of war1677–

tug of war. (a) The decisive contest; the real struggle or tussle; a severe contest for supremacy. (b) An athletic contest between two teams who…
risse1684

A dispute, a quarrel.
struggle1692–

An act of struggling; a resolute contest, whether physical or otherwise; a continued effort to resist force or free oneself from constraint; a…
palaver1707–

In West Africa: a dispute, quarrel, or misunderstanding; a matter for arbitration.
hash1789–

colloquial and regional (esp. Scottish and U.S.). A row, an uproar; a brawl; a dispute. Frequently (now only) in to settle the hash: to resolve a…
warsle1792–

A mental or other non-physical struggle.
scrabble1794–

U.S. A scramble; a confused struggle, a ‘free-for-all’.
set-to1794–

gen. and figurative. A fight, contest. Also, in weakened sense: an argument, a heated debate.
go1823–

Chiefly colloquial. Originally: a prizefight, boxing match, or the like. Later more generally: a contest, a competition; a fight; an argument.
bucklea1849–

A vigorous struggle or conflict.
wrestle1850–

figurative. A struggle or contest.
tussle1857–

A vigorous or disorderly conflict; a severe struggle, a hard contest; a scuffle. In figurative sense: esp. a sharp and determined contention or…
head-to-head1884–

A private conversation; = tête-à-tête, n. B.1.
scrum1905–

A chaotic struggle or tussle, esp. one involving large numbers of people; a mêlée; a battle.
battleground1931–

figurative. A site of, or forum for, strife or conflict; an issue about which there is intense debate.
shoot-out1953–

A sustained exchange of shooting, a gun-fight.
broigus1982–

A bitter dispute or feud.
mud-wrestle1986–

In extended use: an instance or act of fierce or strenuous contention.
View in Historical Thesaurus

Additional sense (2003)

1991–

In plural. Chiefly British. Army fatigues; (sometimes) spec. = combat trousers n.
1991
In other quarters in the police station, there were the standard khaki fatigues of ordinary soldiers and occasionally the desert combats of the Republican Guard.
Independent on Sunday 10 March (Review Supplement) 5/2
1995
You used to get loads of people in pilot jackets and combats and then it completely changed, you wear what you want.
J. Miller, Voxpop xiii. 190
2001
[He] manages to carry off classic cool by teaming a smart V-neck with some baggy combats.
Star 6 January 87/3
British English

Pronunciation

British English

/ˈkɒmbat/

KOM-bat

/ˈkʌmbat/

KUM-bat

U.S. English

/ˈkɑmˌbæt/

KAHM-bat

Frequency

combat is one of the 5,000 most common words in modern written English. It is similar in frequency to words like devil, embed, friction, proclaim, and sail.

It typically occurs about ten times per million words in modern written English.

combat is in frequency band 6, which contains words occurring between 10 and 100 times per million words in modern written English. More about OED's frequency bands

Frequency data is computed programmatically, and should be regarded as an estimate.

Frequency of combat, n., 1750–2010

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Historical frequency series are derived from Google Books Ngrams (version 2), a data set based on the Google Books corpus of several million books printed in English between 1500 and 2010.

The overall frequency for a given word is calculated by summing frequencies for the main form of the word, any plural or inflected forms, and any major spelling variations.

For sets of homographs (distinct entries that share the same word-form, e.g. mole, n.¹, mole, n.², mole, n.³, etc.), we have estimated the frequency of each homograph entry as a fraction of the total Ngrams frequency for the word-form. This may result in inaccuracies.

Decade	Frequency per million words
1750	9.1
1760	12
1770	17
1780	17
1790	14
1800	17
1810	13
1820	14
1830	14
1840	13
1850	13
1860	12
1870	11
1880	9.8
1890	9.3
1900	8.1
1910	7.8
1920	6.8
1930	5.9
1940	11
1950	9.6
1960	9.6
1970	9.8
1980	11
1990	11
2000	12
2010	12

Frequency of combat, n., 2017–2023

* Occurrences per million words in written English

Modern frequency series are derived from a corpus of 20 billion words, covering the period from 2017 to the present. The corpus is mainly compiled from online news sources, and covers all major varieties of World English.

Period	Frequency per million words
Oct.–Dec. 2017	12
Jan.–Mar. 2018	12
Apr.–June 2018	13
July–Sept. 2018	13
Oct.–Dec. 2018	13
Jan.–Mar. 2019	14
Apr.–June 2019	15
July–Sept. 2019	15
Oct.–Dec. 2019	13
Jan.–Mar. 2020	13
Apr.–June 2020	12
July–Sept. 2020	13
Oct.–Dec. 2020	13
Jan.–Mar. 2021	13
Apr.–June 2021	13
July–Sept. 2021	15
Oct.–Dec. 2021	14
Jan.–Mar. 2022	17
Apr.–June 2022	15
July–Sept. 2022	16
Oct.–Dec. 2022	15
Jan.–Mar. 2023	16

Compounds & derived words

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combacy, n. 1586

Combat.

combatize, v. c1600

intransitive. To engage in combat.

intercombat, n. 1609–

theatre-combat, n. 1611–

tongue-combat, n. 1623–

pen-combat, n. 1642–1848

wit-combat, n. a1661–

combat sport, n. 1923–

A sport such as boxing, karate, fencing, etc., in which (usually two) competitors face each other in a form of combat governed by a set of rules.

combat jacket, n. 1940–

A military issue jacket, esp. one in a camouflage pattern; any of various styles of casual jacket resembling those in military use.

combat knife, n. 1942–

Any of various types of knife that are designed as weapons and sold or marketed as military issue; spec. a dagger-like knife with a long, thin…

combat fatigue, n. 1943–

A nervous disorder resulting from prolonged or severe battle experience.

combat boot, n. 1944–

A rubber-soled boot of hard leather, typically laced and extending above the ankle, originally worn as military issue, but later also as a fashion…

combat pants, n. 1944–

= combat trousers, n.

combat trousers, n. 1947–

A type of loose-fitting trousers, typically made of heavy cotton in black, camouflage, or khaki, with large external pockets halfway down each leg; a…

Quotations

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What does the noun combat mean?

Entry status

How common is the noun combat?

How is the noun combat pronounced?

British English

U.S. English

Where does the noun combat come from?

Nearby entries

Etymology

Summary

Meaning & use

Quotations

Contents

Earlier version

Additional sense (2003)

Pronunciation

British English

U.S. English

British English

Consonants

Vowels

Other symbols

U.S. English

Consonants

Vowels

Other symbols

Simple Text Respell

Consonants

Vowels

Forms

Variant forms

Frequency

Frequency of combat, n., 1750–2010

Frequency of combat, n., 2017–2023

Compounds & derived words

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Quotations

Contents