fight ‧ ing /ˈfaɪtɪŋ/ BrE AmE noun [uncountable]
when people or groups fight each other in a war, in the street etc
fighting between
heavy fighting between government and rebel forces
Fighting broke out in the crowds.
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THESAURUS
▪ war noun [uncountable and countable] a situation in which there is fighting between countries or opposing groups within a country, with large numbers of soldiers and weapons:
He fought in World War II.
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the horrors of war
▪ conflict noun [uncountable and countable] a situation in which there is fighting or a war – used especially in news reports:
the conflict in the Middle East
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There is increasing danger of armed conflict.
▪ fighting noun [uncountable] a situation in which people or groups fight each other and try to kill each other:
The fighting went on for months.
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Fighting in the north has resulted in hundreds of deaths.
▪ hostilities noun [plural] formal fighting in a war:
The agreement called on the guerrillas to cease hostilities (=stop fighting) and begin peace talks.
▪ warfare noun [uncountable] the activity of fighting in a war – used especially to talk about a method of fighting:
new and more advanced methods of warfare
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chemical warfare
▪ battle noun [uncountable and countable] an occasion when two armies, groups of ships etc fight each other in one place during a war:
the great naval battles of the Napoleonic Wars
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the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805
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He died in battle.
▪ skirmish /ˈskɜːmɪʃ $ ˈskɜːr-/ noun [countable] a short fight between small groups of soldiers, ships etc, especially one that happens away from the main part of a war or battle:
There were minor skirmishes between Indian and Pakistani troops across the border.
▪ combat noun [uncountable] the act of fighting, especially during a war:
Few of them had any experience of combat.
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hand-to-hand combat
▪ action noun [uncountable] military actions carried out by the army, navy etc of a country during a war – used especially in the following phrases:
He was killed in action in 1944.
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Her son went missing in action.
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Her grandfather saw action (=fought) in two world wars.