battle or contend against in or as if in a battle; "The Kurds are combating Iraqi troops in Nothern Iraq"; "We must combat the prejudices against other races"; "they battled over the budget"
An engagement of no great magnitude; or one in which the parties engaged are not armies
Combat is fighting that takes place in a war. Over 16 million men had died in combat Yesterday saw hand-to-hand combat in the city. combat aircraft
the act of fighting; any contest or struggle; "a fight broke out at the hockey game"; "there was fighting in the streets"; "the unhappy couple got into a terrible scrap"
If people in authority combat something, they try to stop it happening. Congress has criticised new government measures to combat crime. combated combating to try to stop something bad from happening or getting worse - used especially in news reports combat inflation/crime/racism etc