single combat

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Halfway through the movie, to ward off full-scale war with the Philistines, David volunteers to engage in single combat with the enemy’s champion: an oversize fellow named Goliath.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 18, 2025

The single combat involves swinging a conker -- a hardened horse chestnut -- on a string at your opponent's nut with murderous venom, until one is smashed to pieces.

From Barron's • Oct. 17, 2025

The Leopold was the first destroyer-escort lost in WWII, and it was the worst loss of life in a single combat action in Coast Guard history.

From Washington Times • Nov. 15, 2020

While it’s fun to harp on individual matchups, bouts of single combat rarely tell the whole story.

From Slate • Mar. 23, 2019

The Spotted Cat proposed to challenge the enemy to send forth a champion to face him in single combat.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin