Combat Terminology

noun a fight or contest between two or more combatants

adjective relating to or characteristic of a battle or contest

• The battle royal between the two political parties was intense and closely watched by the public.
• Did you see that crazy battle royal between those two YouTubers? It was epic!
• The battle royal at the concert last night was insane - so many people pushing and shoving.
• The battle royal between the siblings over who gets to use the car first was a daily occurrence in their household.

noun a final or decisive blow, especially one that causes death

• The final deathblow was delivered by the enemy's skilled swordsman.
• That mistake was the deathblow to our chances of winning.
• Losing my job was the deathblow to my finances.
• The cancellation of the event was a deathblow to our plans.

noun a physical confrontation between two or more individuals

verb to engage in a physical confrontation or struggle

adjective aggressive or combative in nature

• The two nations engaged in a fierce fight over the disputed territory.
• I heard there was a big fight at the bar last night.
• Those two are always ready to throw down and fight over the smallest things.
• Sometimes life feels like a constant fight against the odds.

noun the act of engaging in a physical or verbal struggle to overcome an opponent

adjective engaged in or ready to engage in a conflict or battle

• The two countries have been fighting over the disputed territory for decades.
• My siblings are always fighting over who gets to use the TV remote.
• I heard those two are fighting like cats and dogs.
• She's been fighting an uphill battle trying to get her novel published.

noun a long weapon with a pointed blade used for thrusting or throwing

verb to pierce or stab with a lance

• The knight rode into battle with his trusty lance in hand.
• He picked up a lance and charged at the enemy.
• I saw him lancing his way through the crowd to get to the front.
• Her words were like a lance, piercing through his heart.

noun a confused fight, skirmish, or scuffle

verb not applicable

adjective not applicable

adverb not applicable

pronoun not applicable

preposition not applicable

conjunction not applicable

interjection not applicable

article not applicable

• The knights engaged in a fierce melee on the battlefield.
• There was a crazy melee at the concert last night.
• Things got real messy during the melee at the party.
• The political debate turned into a verbal melee between the candidates.

verb to defeat or surpass in a fight or conflict

• The skilled soldier was able to outfight his opponents in the battle.
• I bet I can outfight you in a game of arm wrestling.
• He always manages to outfight his rivals in the ring.
• She was determined to outfight the challenges that came her way.

noun a word used to identify any of a class of people, places, or things

verb a word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence

adverb a word or phrase that modifies or qualifies an adjective, verb, or other adverb

pronoun a word that can function by itself as a noun phrase and that refers either to the participants in the discourse (e.g., I, you) or to someone or something mentioned elsewhere in the discourse (e.g., she, it, this)

preposition a word governing, and usually preceding, a noun or pronoun and expressing a relation to another word or element in the clause

conjunction a word used to connect clauses or sentences or to coordinate words in the same clause

interjection an exclamation, especially as a part of speech

article a word that is used with a noun to specify grammatical definiteness of the noun

• The company's sudden decision to cut the legs out from under its employees left many without a stable source of income.
• I can't believe they kicked the legs out from under us like that, without any warning.
• She really cut my legs out from under me when she spread that rumor about me.
• The unexpected betrayal by his closest friend felt like having the legs kicked out from under him.