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Join battle   /dʒɔɪn bˈætəl/   Listen
noun
Battle  n.  
1.
A general action, fight, or encounter, in which all the divisions of an army are or may be engaged; an engagement; a combat.
2.
A struggle; a contest; as, the battle of life. "The whole intellectual battle that had at its center the best poem of the best poet of that day."
3.
A division of an army; a battalion. (Obs.) "The king divided his army into three battles." "The cavalry, by way of distinction, was called the battle, and on it alone depended the fate of every action."
4.
The main body, as distinct from the van and rear; battalia. (Obs.) Note: Battle is used adjectively or as the first part of a self-explaining compound; as, battle brand, a "brand" or sword used in battle; battle cry; battlefield; battle ground; battle array; battle song.
Battle piece, a painting, or a musical composition, representing a battle.
Battle royal.
(a)
A fight between several gamecocks, where the one that stands longest is the victor.
(b)
A contest with fists or cudgels in which more than two are engaged; a mêlée.
Drawn battle, one in which neither party gains the victory.
To give battle, to attack an enemy.
To join battle, to meet the attack; to engage in battle.
Pitched battle, one in which the armies are previously drawn up in form, with a regular disposition of the forces.
Wager of battle. See under Wager, n.
Synonyms: Conflict; encounter; contest; action. Battle, Combat, Fight, Engagement. These words agree in denoting a close encounter between contending parties. Fight is a word of less dignity than the others. Except in poetry, it is more naturally applied to the encounter of a few individuals, and more commonly an accidental one; as, a street fight. A combat is a close encounter, whether between few or many, and is usually premeditated. A battle is commonly more general and prolonged. An engagement supposes large numbers on each side, engaged or intermingled in the conflict.


verb
Join  v. t.  (past & past part. joined; pres. part. joining)  
1.
To bring together, literally or figuratively; to place in contact; to connect; to couple; to unite; to combine; to associate; to add; to append. "Woe unto them that join house to house." "Held up his left hand, which did flame and burn Like twenty torches joined." "Thy tuneful voice with numbers join."
2.
To associate one's self to; to be or become connected with; to league one's self with; to unite with; as, to join a party; to join the church. "We jointly now to join no other head."
3.
To unite in marriage. "He that joineth his virgin in matrimony." "What, therefore, God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."
4.
To enjoin upon; to command. (Obs. & R.) "They join them penance, as they call it."
5.
To accept, or engage in, as a contest; as, to join encounter, battle, issue.
6.
To meet with and accompany; as, we joined them at the restaurant.
7.
To combine with (another person) in performing some activity; as, join me in welcoming our new president.
To join battle, To join issue. See under Battle, Issue.
Synonyms: To add; annex; unite; connect; combine; consociate; couple; link; append. See Add.





Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48


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"Join battle" Quotes from Famous Books



... loan, which had the effect of turning everyone against it. All hopes were pinned on Massna's ability to stop the Russians and prevent them from entering France. The directory, impatient, sent him courier after courier, ordering him to join battle; but this latter-day Fabius, unwilling to risk the safety of his country, was waiting for some false move, on the part of his impetuous adversary, to give him the ...
— The Memoirs of General the Baron de Marbot, Translated by - Oliver C. Colt • Baron de Marbot
... increase of Henry's strength; and they sought by a mock compromise to paralyse the power of both Stephen and his rival. "Then arose the barons, or rather the betrayers of England, treating of concord, although they loved nothing better than discord; but they would not join battle, for they desired to exalt neither of the two, lest if the one were overcome the other should be free to govern them; they knew that so long as one was in awe of the other he could exercise no royal authority over them." Henry subdued his wrath to his political sagacity. He agreed ...
— Henry the Second • Mrs. J. R. Green
... war; raise one's banner, raise the fire cross; hoist the black flag; throw away, fling away the scabbard; enroll, enlist; take the field; take the law into one's own hands; do battle, give battle, join battle, engage in battle, go to battle; flesh one's sword; set to, fall to, engage, measure swords with, draw the trigger, cross swords; come to blows, come to close quarters; fight; combat; contend &c. 720; battle with, break a lance with. [pirates engage in battle] ...
— Roget's Thesaurus
... anyone else, was probably responsible for the extensive and extended application of torture as a means to extract information. These, in his eyes, were methods without which it was impossible to fight the enemy who must be fought at any cost. He was ready, even eager, to join battle openly with Spain in the cause of the Religion, which to him was a reality, while to Elizabeth, if not also to Burghley, it was only a political factor which it annoyed her to be obliged to recognise. And of his high personal integrity, the final proof is that when he died, he left ...
— England Under the Tudors • Arthur D. Innes
... take place in the sight of both armies, in an open space between the two camps, and that King Arthur and Mordred should each be accompanied by fourteen knights. Little enough faith had either in the other, so when they set forth to the meeting, they bade their hosts join battle if ever they saw a sword drawn. Thus they went to ...
— Stories from Le Morte D'Arthur and the Mabinogion • Beatrice Clay


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