battled

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
4

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 Japan battled valiantly but ultimately couldn’t spend enough time on the ball to threaten Brazil. Andrew Greif, NBC news, 30 June 2026 Nilsson battled end-stage kidney disease for more than four years and received dialysis three days a week, according to a family post on his Facebook page. Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 3 July 2026 About 115 firefighters along with 38 fire engines and an unknown number of volunteers battled the blaze, the fire service said. ABC News, 4 July 2026 Elon Musk and Bezos cannot buy these spots because some of our visionary ancestors battled successfully to preserve this legacy for future generations. Nicholas D. Kristof, Mercury News, 3 July 2026 Born in 1790, Force grew up hearing stories from soldiers who had battled the British, which instilled in him a lifelong interest in the fight for independence. T. H. Breen, The Atlantic, 3 July 2026 Hundreds of firefighters battled blazes in Portugal, Greece and Spain on Sunday, with Spain and Italy sending reinforcements to Portugal to help with a massive blaze burning for more than three days. Elena Becatoros, Los Angeles Times, 5 July 2026 This comes after Conwell battled through a 1-of-7 shooting start in Friday’s summer league opener to finish his summer league debut with 21 points on 4-of-12 shooting from the field, 3-of-7 shooting on threes and 4-of-4 shooting from the foul line. Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 5 July 2026 Two shades of yellow, one closer to a ripe lemon, the other closer to gold, filled Kansas City’s FIFA World Cup Fan Fest as Ghana and Colombia battled for a spot in the Round of 16 on Friday night. Latif Love july 4, Kansas City Star, 4 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for battled
Verb
  • For decades, companies competed on their ability to produce more efficiently, at a greater scale and preferably at higher quality.
    Jonas Barck, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • The last time Williams competed at The Championships, Wimbledon came in 2022.
    Julia Teti, Footwear News, 30 June 2026
Verb
  • The governor faced mass backlash from activists across the country for his office's statement.
    Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026
  • Despite the widespread support in the Assembly, the bill faced a wide array of opposition that included trade groups for large social media companies, organizations that support young people and advocates for digital privacy.
    Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • The future king of Britain descends from American patriots who fought against the crown he is destined to inherit, according to a new book tracing Prince William's family tree.
    Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2026
  • Both exist in spite of the odds, symbols of perseverance and community — memorials to those who fought to establish a new country and a new state, and who happened to do it in a place that proved particularly untamable.
    Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 5 July 2026
Verb
  • All Democrats in Congress vehemently opposed the bill and three Senate Republicans—Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Thom Tillis of North Carolina—voted against it.
    Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
  • Mayor Rusty Knox has been one of the voices opposed to expanding the lanes.
    Michael Praats, Charlotte Observer, 4 July 2026
Verb
  • Consumer Watchdog contended in its lawsuit that the surcharges violated Proposition 103 — the 1988 measure that governs insurer rate hikes — because the proposition does not allow for them.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
  • Responding to public criticism, Justice Samuel Alito contended that the court isn’t to blame for the rise in shadow docket cases.
    Ken B. Morales, ProPublica, 1 July 2026
Verb
  • Kaplan described the engineers his team encountered there as among the most skilled in the world at managing AI agents.
    Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 3 July 2026
  • On a remote Maine logging road, a couple out for a day of fishing unexpectedly encountered a black bear chasing a frantic moose calf toward their truck.
    Kate Brumback, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • Television footage showed black smoke billowing out of windows on the fourth floor, as firefighters combated the fire at the scene.
    ABC News, ABC News, 19 June 2026
  • That will surely improve with time, but for now, KAT and the Knicks have recognized it and combated it appropriately.
    Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 12 June 2026
Verb
  • Immigrants crowded waiting rooms and spilled into hallways as clerks raced to process around 100 people scheduled for an administrative hearing that morning.
    Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
  • The Kansas City Royals raced out to a quick lead against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Battled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/battled. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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