Battle vs. Contest — What's the Difference?

A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles.

An event in which people compete for supremacy in a sport or other activity, or in a quality

A fight between two armed forces, usually on a large scale

Engage in competition to attain (a position of power)

Armed fighting; combat

Oppose (an action or theory) as mistaken or wrong

A match between two combatants

A struggle for superiority or victory between rivals

A protracted controversy or struggle

A competition, especially one in which entrants perform separately and are rated by judges

An intense competition

To compete or strive for; struggle to gain or control

To engage in or as if in battle.

To call into question and take an active stand against; dispute or challenge

To fight against

(Sports) To defend against (a shot), as in basketball.

A contest, a struggle.

To struggle or compete; contend

(military) A general action, fight, or encounter, in which all the divisions of an army are or may be engaged; a combat, an engagement.

(uncountable) Controversy; debate.

A division of an army; a battalion.

(uncountable) Struggle for superiority; combat.

The main body of an army, as distinct from the vanguard and rear; the battalia.

(countable) A competition.

Battle buddy

(intransitive) To contend.

(intransitive) To join in battle; to contend in fight

(transitive) To call into question; to oppose.

(transitive) To fight or struggle; to enter into a battle with.

(transitive) To strive earnestly to hold or maintain; to struggle to defend.

To feed or nourish (someone or something).

(law) To make a subject of litigation; to defend, as a suit; to dispute or resist, as a claim, by course of law.

To render (land, soil, etc.) fertile or fruitful.

To make a subject of dispute, contention, litigation, or emulation; to contend for; to call in question; to controvert; to oppose; to dispute.

Improving; nutritious; fattening.

To strive earnestly to hold or maintain; to struggle to defend; as, the troops contested every inch of ground.

Fertile; fruitful.

To make a subject of litigation; to defend, as a suit; to dispute or resist; as a claim, by course of law; to controvert.

A general action, fight, or encounter, in which all the divisions of an army are or may be engaged; an engagement; a combat.

To engage in contention, or emulation; to contend; to strive; to vie; to emulate; - followed usually by with.

A struggle; a contest; as, the battle of life.

Earnest dispute; strife in argument; controversy; debate; altercation.

A division of an army; a battalion.

Earnest struggle for superiority, victory, defense, etc.; competition; emulation; strife in arms; conflict; combat; encounter.

The main body, as distinct from the van and rear; battalia.

An occasion on which a winner is selected from among two or more contestants

To join in battle; to contend in fight; as, to battle over theories.

A struggle between rivals

To assail in battle; to fight.

To make the subject of dispute, contention, or litigation;

A hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war;

An energetic attempt to achieve something;

An open clash between two opposing groups (or individuals);

Battle or contend against in or as if in a battle;