(n)battle, conflict, fight, engagementa hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war“Grant won a decisive victory in the battle of Chattanooga”, “he lost his romantic ideas about war when he got into a real engagement”
(n)conflict, struggle, battlean open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals)“the harder the conflict the more glorious the triumph” (Thomas Paine), “police tried to control the battle between the pro- and anti-abortion mobs”
(v)battle, combatbattle or contend against in or as if in a battle“The Kurds are combating Iraqi troops in Northern Iraq”, “We must combat the prejudices against other races”, “they battled over the budget”