battled

past tense of battle
1
as in competed
to engage in a contest the two teams, which have long been archrivals, will battle on the court for the state championship

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in faced
to enter into contest or conflict with the two top-seeded tennis players battled each other for almost three hours

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
4

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of battled Maxxine battled back, but Raquel caught a spinning kick attempt and stuck Maxxine with a Tejana Bomb for the win. Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026 Japan battled valiantly but ultimately couldn’t spend enough time on the ball to threaten Brazil. Andrew Greif, NBC news, 30 June 2026 The rescue helicopter battled with the wind and had to drop the crew on a snowfield nearly two thousand feet below the summit. William Finnegan, New Yorker, 29 June 2026 Femi, who seemingly had Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns on his mind going into the match, battled with Uso the entire night. Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 28 June 2026 The Japanese standout has struggled to earn playing time all season, and even after Anthony went down and theoretically opened a starting spot, Yoshida still battled for at bats with Mickey Gasper. Mac Cerullo, Hartford Courant, 28 June 2026 The two men have also battled over Israel and Iran since last year. Mabinty Quarshie, The Washington Examiner, 28 June 2026 But this team on the day battled, just as Canadian soccer players had battled for generations for viewers. Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 28 June 2026 The coverage also included a report on how Altadena residents battled to save their own homes from flames; an overview of the Palisades fire’s massive scale; and an investigation into why hydrants ran dry as firefighters battled the deadly fires. Los Angeles Times, 25 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for battled
Verb
  • For decades, companies competed on their ability to produce more efficiently, at a greater scale and preferably at higher quality.
    Jonas Barck, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026
  • The last time Williams competed at The Championships, Wimbledon came in 2022.
    Julia Teti, Footwear News, 30 June 2026
Verb
  • The governor faced mass backlash from activists across the country for his office's statement.
    Jackson Thompson OutKick, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026
  • Despite the widespread support in the Assembly, the bill faced a wide array of opposition that included trade groups for large social media companies, organizations that support young people and advocates for digital privacy.
    Stephen Hobbs, Sacbee.com, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • As visitors like Fulkerson settled into folding chairs arranged along the same grassy knoll where John Brown and his followers fought their way into the red-brick armory, Kerwin rose, stepped to the microphone and looked out at the crowd gathered before her.
    Marissa J. Lang, NPR, 26 June 2026
  • While the Civil War was fought far from Pittsburgh's streets, its impact can still be found here today — in the graves of arsenal workers, in the medals of hometown heroes, and in the stories preserved for future generations.
    Christopher DeRose, CBS News, 26 June 2026
Verb
  • In what is now the desert Southwest, Velarde was born among the remnants of the Spanish empire and lived under the flags of Mexico and Texas; briefly, the Confederacy, though his family opposed it; and finally, under the stars and stripes of the United States of America.
    Lauren Villagran, USA Today, 28 June 2026
  • Many residents have opposed the data centers.
    Desiree Mathurin, Charlotte Observer, 27 June 2026
Verb
  • Consumer Watchdog contended in its lawsuit that the surcharges violated Proposition 103 — the 1988 measure that governs insurer rate hikes — because the proposition does not allow for them.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
  • Responding to public criticism, Justice Samuel Alito contended that the court isn’t to blame for the rise in shadow docket cases.
    Ken B. Morales, ProPublica, 1 July 2026
Verb
  • Kaplan described the engineers his team encountered there as among the most skilled in the world at managing AI agents.
    Nicholas Gordon, Fortune, 3 July 2026
  • On a remote Maine logging road, a couple out for a day of fishing unexpectedly encountered a black bear chasing a frantic moose calf toward their truck.
    Kate Brumback, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026
Verb
  • Television footage showed black smoke billowing out of windows on the fourth floor, as firefighters combated the fire at the scene.
    ABC News, ABC News, 19 June 2026
  • That will surely improve with time, but for now, KAT and the Knicks have recognized it and combated it appropriately.
    Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 12 June 2026
Verb
  • Immigrants crowded waiting rooms and spilled into hallways as clerks raced to process around 100 people scheduled for an administrative hearing that morning.
    Itzel Luna, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
  • The Kansas City Royals raced out to a quick lead against the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium.
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 1 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Battled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/battled. Accessed 6 Jul. 2026.

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