I.
noun
1 between armies
ADJECTIVE
▪ bloody , fierce
▪ intense , pitched
▪
The two armies fought a pitched ~ on the plain.
▪ climactic , decisive , final
▪
Iwo Jima was for many the climactic ~ of World War II.
▪ epic , famous , great , historic , important , major
▪ land , naval , sea
▪ coming , upcoming ( AmE )
▪
The squadron was getting ready for the coming ~.
VERB + BATTLE
▪ fight
▪ win
▪ lose
▪ do , enter , give , go into , join , wage
▪
Charles V refused to give ~.
▪
The two armies joined ~.
▪ send sb into
▪
Many young men were sent into ~ without proper training.
▪ survive
BATTLE + VERB
▪ begin , ensue , take place
▪ rage
▪ continue , unfold
▪
The leaders anxiously watched the ~ unfold.
▪ be over , end
PREPOSITION
▪ at a/the ~
▪
Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo.
▪ in (a/the) ~
▪
He died in ~.
2 violent fight between two groups
ADJECTIVE
▪ fierce
▪ pitched
▪ running
▪ gun
▪ turf ( esp. AmE )
▪
A turf ~ among competing drug cartels has claimed several lives.
VERB + BATTLE
▪ fight
BATTLE + VERB
▪ erupt
PREPOSITION
▪ ~ against
▪
Police fought a pitched ~ against demonstrators.
▪ ~ between
▪
a gun ~ between police and drug smugglers
▪ ~ with
▪
Scores of people have been hurt in running ~s with police.
3 struggle
ADJECTIVE
▪ bitter , fierce , heated , intense , tough
▪
a heated ~ between the oil industry and environmentalists
▪ real
▪
There's now a real ~ at the top of the First Division.
▪ constant , continuing , epic , long , long-running , ongoing , prolonged , running
▪
The college president fought a running ~ with the editors of the student newspaper.
▪ coming , upcoming ( AmE )
▪
The upcoming political ~ could be for the allegiance of the young.
▪ losing , uphill
▪
We seem to be fighting a losing ~.
▪ successful
▪ court , custody , legal
VERB + BATTLE
▪ do , engage in , fight
▪
Are you prepared to do ~ with your insurance company over the claim?
▪ be engaged in
▪ face
▪ win
▪ lose
▪ end
▪
She saw a way to end the prolonged legal ~.
BATTLE + VERB
▪ rage
▪
A policy ~ is raging in Washington.
▪ begin , ensue
▪
A ten-month legal ~ ensued.
▪ be brewing , be looming , loom
▪
A ~ is brewing between ecologists and big business.
▪ be over , end
PREPOSITION
▪ ~ against
▪
his long ~ against cancer
▪ ~ between
▪
a fierce ~ between developers and the local community
▪ ~ for
▪
the ~ for human rights
▪ ~ over
▪
The government now faces a new ~ over tax increases.
▪ ~ with
▪
They are engaged in a long-running legal ~ with their competitors.
PHRASES
▪ a ~ of ideas , a ~ of words
▪ a ~ of wills , a ~ of wits
▪ a ~ royal (= a major battle in which all available forces take part)
▪ fight your own ~s
▪
My parents believed in leaving me to fight my own ~s.
▪ pick your ~s (= decide which things are worth fighting or disagreeing about)
▪
As a parent, you have to pick your ~s.
II.
verb
ADVERB
▪ ferociously , fiercely , hard
▪ bravely , gamely , valiantly
▪
The child ~d bravely for her life.
▪ in vain , unsuccessfully
▪
Doctors ~d in vain to save his life.
▪ constantly
▪ away
▪
We'll keep battling away and hope that the goals start to come.
PREPOSITION
▪ against
▪
Rescuers ~d against torrential rain and high winds.
▪ for
▪
factions battling for control of the party
▪ over
▪
Residents are battling over plans for a new airport runway.
▪ through
▪
We ~d through the snowstorm.
▪ with
▪
Riot police ~d with 4 000 students.
▪
He ~d with cancer for many months.
PHRASES
▪ ~ it out
▪
Competitors ~d it out against the clock.
▪ ~ your way
▪
He ~d his way to the bar.
Battle is used with these nouns as the subject: ↑ firefighter , ↑ hero , ↑ side
Battle is used with these nouns as the object: ↑ alcoholism , ↑ blaze , ↑ cancer , ↑ demon , ↑ element , ↑ illness , ↑ injury , ↑ monster , ↑ problem