battlefield
/ˈbætlfiːld/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈbætlfiːld/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈba-tᵊl-ˌfēld/ (ame, mw)
battlefield — noun
1. an open area of land where soldiers from opposing armies meet to fight, either d
an open area of land where soldiers from opposing armies meet to fight, either during an active war or on ground that saw fighting many years ago.
Tourists walk slowly across the old battlefield at Gettysburg every summer.
preposition: across the battlefield
Ines served as a medic and treated wounded soldiers on the battlefield for two years.
fixed phrase: on the battlefield
The general studied maps before sending his troops onto the battlefield at dawn.
Farmers near Verdun still dig up helmets and bullets from a battlefield of the First World War.
Captain Reyes carried his wounded friend off the battlefield near Fallujah at sunset.
- battleground
near-identical; slightly more common in American English
- front line
the most forward edge where fighting actually happens, not the whole area
- theater of war
formal; covers a much wider region than a single battlefield
文法句型
on the battlefield
battlefield of [war/conflict]
用法筆記
Frequently appears in the fixed prepositional phrase 'on the battlefield' to describe what soldiers do or experience during combat. Often modified by a war name (the battlefield of Waterloo, Civil War battlefields).
常見錯誤
2. a topic, situation, or area of public life — for example abortion law, school cu
a topic, situation, or area of public life — for example abortion law, school curriculums, or a company boardroom — where two sides argue passionately and refuse to give in.
Immigration policy has become the main battlefield in this year's election.
figurative: political battlefield
The school library turned into a battlefield when parents disagreed about which books to remove.
metaphor: turn into a battlefield
Social media is a daily battlefield for activists fighting over climate policy.
The courtroom became a battlefield as the two companies fought over patent rights.
- flashpoint
the specific moment or issue likely to start a conflict, narrower than battlefield
- minefield
stresses hidden dangers and easy mistakes, not open argument
- arena
neutral; any space for public debate, with or without strong disagreement
- common ground
an area of shared agreement instead of fierce dispute
文法句型
a battlefield for [people/groups]
political/legal/cultural battlefield
用法筆記
Always figurative in this sense — paired with abstract nouns (policy, ideas, rights, opinion) rather than physical places. Distinguish from sense 1 by the absence of any actual military combat: nothing is being shot, only argued.