/ ˈkɒmbæt; NAmE ˈkɑːm-/ noun , verb
■ noun
[ U , C ] fighting or a fight, especially during a time of war :
He was killed in combat .
armed / unarmed combat (= with / without weapons)
combat troops
combat boots
—see also single combat
■ verb ( -t- or -tt- ) [ vn ]
1.
to stop sth unpleasant or harmful from happening or from getting worse :
measures to combat crime / inflation / unemployment / disease
2.
( formal ) to fight against an enemy
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent. (originally denoting a fight between two people or parties): from French combattre (verb), from late Latin combattere , from com- together with + battere , variant of Latin batuere to fight.