combat
n. uncountablen. fighting between people or groups, especially during a war. It can also mean a strong struggle against something bad, like a disease.
n. active fighting between military forces or individuals; more broadly, a concerted struggle to overcome or prevent something harmful.
The soldiers were trained for hand-to-hand combat.
The government is launching a new initiative to increase combat against rising levels of cybercrime.
While the treaty reduced the risk of open combat between the two nations, it did little to ease the underlying diplomatic tensions that had fueled the conflict for decades.
16th century, borrowed from Middle French combat, deverbal from Old French combatre, from Vulgar Latin *combattere, from Latin com- (“with”) + battuere (“to beat, strike”).
Often used as a modifier before another noun (e.g., 'combat boots', 'combat zone').