Combat1. (v. i.) To struggle or contend, as with an opposing force; to fight.
2. (v. t.) To fight with; to oppose by force, argument, etc.; to contend against; to resist.
3. (n.) A fight; a contest of violence; a struggle for supremacy.
4. (n.) An engagement of no great magnitude; or one in which the parties engaged are not armies.
Thesaurus Entries
Kilkenny cats, action, aerial combat, affray, all-out war, altercation, antagonize, appeal to arms, argument, armed combat, armed conflict, armored combat, attack, battle, battle royal, beat against, beat up against, belligerence, belligerency, bickering, bloodshed, box, brawl, breast the wave, broil, brush, buck, buffet, buffet the waves, bullfight, cat-and-dog life, clash, clash of arms, close, close with, cockfight, collide, come to blows, compete with, conflict, confrontation, contend, contend against, contention, contentiousness, contest, contestation, controversy, cut and thrust, debate, defy, difference, disagreement, disputation, dispute, do battle, dogfight, duel, embroilment, encounter, engagement, enmity, exchange blows, exchange of blows, fence, feud, fight, fight a duel, fight against, fighting, fire fight, fray, give and take, give satisfaction, grapple, grapple with, ground combat, hand-to-hand combat, hand-to-hand fight, hostilities, hostility, hot war, house-to-house combat, join battle with, jostle, joust, la guerre, labor against, litigation, logomachy, might of arms, military operations, militate against, mix it up, naval combat, offer resistance, open hostilities, open war, oppose, opposition, paper war, passage of arms, pitched battle, polemic, quarrel, quarreling, quarrelsomeness, rassle, reluct, reluctate, repel, resort to arms, riot, rival, rumble, run a tilt, running fight, scramble, scrapping, scrimmage, scuffle, shooting war, shoving match, skirmish, spar, squabbling, stand-up fight, state of war, stem the tide, street fight, strife, strive, strive against, struggle, struggle against, take on, tauromachy, the sword, thrust and parry, tilt, total war, tourney, traverse, tug-of-war, tussle, vendetta, vie with, wage war, war, war of words, warfare, warmaking, warring, wartime, withstand, words, wrangling, wrestle