From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcombatcom‧bat1 /ˈkɒmbæt $ ˈkɑːm-/ ●●○ noun 1 [uncountable]WAR fighting, especially during a warin combat Corporal Gierson was killed in combat. We flew over 200 combat missions. training in unarmed combat (=fighting without weapons)mortal combat (=fighting until one person kills another)hand-to-hand combat (=fighting in which you are close enough to touch your opponent)combat aircraft/jacket/boots etc► see thesaurus at war2 [countable]FIGHT a fight or battle3 → combatsCOLLOCATIONSadjectiveshand-to-hand combat (=in which you are close enough to touch your opponent)Thousands of men were killed in hand-to-hand combat in less than 24 hours.close combat (=in which you are very near your opponent)Swords and spears were used for close combat.single combat (=in which you and one other person fight together)The champion called out a challenge to single combat.unarmed combat (=without weapons)They were trained in the techniques of unarmed combat.mortal combat (=until one opponent is killed)an exciting computer game of mortal combat against giants and monstersair/aerial combat (=fighting in the air)30 enemy aircraft were destroyed in aerial combat.verbsbe locked in combat (=to be using all your effort and attention to fight each other)Their troops were locked in combat.engage in combat with somebody formal (=to fight someone)The president said he was aware of the danger to forces engaged in combat in the field.combat + NOUNcombat troops/soldiers/forces/unitsUS combat troops were in the streets of the capital yesterday.combat aircraftVery few combat aircraft have been destroyed.combat vehiclesArmoured combat vehicles appeared on the streets of the city.a combat zone (=an area where there is fighting)refugees from the combat zonea combat mission/operationHe flew 280 combat missions in two wars.combat gear (=clothes worn in battles by the armed forces)a group of soldiers in combat gearcombat fatigues (=trousers worn in battles by the armed forces)He was still dressed in combat fatigues and jungle boots.combat bootsThe troops were issued with steel helmets and combat boots.combat readiness (=the state of being ready to fight)Troops had been flown in and were in combat readiness.
Examples from the Corpus
combat• In all, there are 15 combat missions involving both subs and surface vessels.• Safety cover was to be provided by combat support boats from the Support Squadron.• Infantry, he added, deliberately placed themselves in positions where they would be engaged in hand-to-hand combat.• The final version endorsed current Pentagon policy allowing women in combat in certain circumstances, a position endorsed by Dole.• Black has gone out with Doc Martens combat boots, and color has come in.• Not only did these men share the hardships of combat, their very survival imbued many with a pre-disposition to paternalism.• Named after famous artillerymen, the larger firebases also served as the field camps for other combat units.• The truce has not stopped combat in the civil war.• She was actually in the combat zone now and she noted uneasily that once again she was placed firmly beside the count.combat aircraft/jacket/boots etc• Only a few had helmets and combat boots; most wore berets or cotton bush hats.• Army surplus stores report a stream of buyers for gas masks, water-purification tablets, survival knives - even combat boots.• Black has gone out with Doc Martens combat boots, and color has come in.• My fatigue pants were so baggy they almost concealed my combat boots.• My combat jacket, knife, bags, catapult and other equipment I took down to the kitchen with me.• We drove out of the barracks huddled in our combat jackets, and turned north towards the Alps.• He wore a black cowboy hat, black shirt, fatigue pants, combat boots.• In the kitchen he put on the combat jacket under his anorak.combatcom‧bat2 /ˈkɒmbæt, kəmˈbæt $ kəmˈbæt, ˈkɑːmbæt/ ●●○ verb (combated, combating or combatted, combatting) [transitive] FIGHT FOR OR AGAINST somethingto try to stop something bad from happening or getting worse – used especially in news reportscombat inflation/crime/racism etc To combat inflation, the government raised interest rates. new strategies for combatting terrorism→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
combat• The new push is reflected in the doubling of budget requests-to $ 254m-to combat Aids overseas.• A defendant can combat an obstinate refusal even to consider compromise by a shrewd payment into court, or a Calderbank offer.• Some players find Goblins hard to use because they imagine they are fighters and commit them to combat as if they were Orcs.• The police are looking for more effective ways to combat drugs gangs in the city.• But the effort to combat her own sensual response seemed too much to cope with - slipping away far beyond her reach.• To combat infection and other problems, doctors had him on 17 different drugs.• The government sees price controls as a way to combat inflation.• The Cabinet has recommended new measures to combat organized crime.• A conference will be held on how to combat pollution of the oceans.• Measures to combat pollution within the city have been introduced.• Breeders have established their own intelligence network in a bid to combat the crime.• They also stress that action to combat these phenomena should be seen as an integral part of integration policy and education.• The imperialists have united themselves and combat us everywhere.combat inflation/crime/racism etc• Speaking at the end of the two days of talks, Mrs Thatcher said it had helped some countries combat inflation.• Tonight he starts his series of reports with a look at how to combat crime.• To combat crime effectively, the police need the full support of the Government and the public.• All this was to combat racism in all its manifestations.• In order to combat inflation the government imposed strict controls on foreign currency.• Vasconcellos has long argued that to combat crime, the state should attack the root causes, such as low self-esteem.Origin combat2 (1500-1600) French combattre, from Vulgar Latin combattere, from Latin com- ( → COM-) + battuere “to hit” 