What does combat mean?
Combat refers to fighting between armed forces or between individuals, encompassing battles large and small, from full-scale military engagements to hand-to-hand struggles. As a verb, to combat something means to fight against it or work actively to counter it, a usage that extends well beyond the battlefield into abstract territory: governments combat inflation, doctors combat disease, and organizations combat discrimination. This dual character makes combat unusually versatile, serving both as a concrete description of warfare and as a figurative term for determined opposition. The word derives from Latin roots meaning to strike or beat together, entered English through French, and has accumulated a rich family of derivatives including combative, combatant, and combatively. In register it is largely neutral, appearing equally in journalism, military writing, and everyday speech, and it commonly collocates with terms like armed, hand-to-hand, and zone. Its enduring usefulness lies in capturing the idea of deliberate, sustained struggle against an opposing force.
Fighting between armed forces or individuals; a battle or engagement.
"He was awarded a medal for his conduct in combat."
Stress falls on the first syllable when used as a noun.
To fight against; to take active measures to oppose, reduce, or eliminate something.
"The charity works to combat child poverty across the region."
When used as a verb, stress typically shifts to the second syllable.
The plural is straightforward and rarely used outside military or historical writing.
"The veteran recounted the many combats he had survived over three tours of duty."
English borrowed 'combat' twice over — once from French and once straight from Latin — and both times it kept its original meaning of beating each other up.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of combat
Combat derives from the Latin verb 'combattere' (later 'com-,' together, plus 'batuere,' to beat or strike), passing into English via Old French 'combattre' around the late sixteenth or early seventeenth century. The underlying root 'bat-' also gave English words such as batter, battle, and debate, all sharing the notion of striking or beating. Cognate forms appear across Romance languages, including French combattre and Italian combattere, reflecting the word's shared Latin heritage.
Related word forms
How combat is actually used
In British and American English alike, the noun is typically stressed on the first syllable (/ˈkɒmbæt/ or /ˈkɑːmbæt/) while the verb carries stress on the second syllable (/kəmˈbæt/), though this distinction is often blurred in casual speech. The verb form frequently appears in abstract contexts — combating crime, poverty, or disease — where no literal physical fighting occurs.
Easily confused with combat
'Combative' is an adjective describing an eagerness to fight or argue, whereas 'combat' is the fighting itself or the act of fighting against something.