battlefront
Where armies clash
The battlefront is the line or area where opposing military forces engage in combat.
It marks where fighting actually occurs, as distinct from rear positions or headquarters.
The word extends to any arena of active conflict or struggle: the battlefront of the culture wars, doctors on the battlefront against disease.
Exchange of gunfire
- assaultViolent offensive act
- skirmishBrief, limited combat
- engagementCommitment to wed or attend
- ambushSurprise strike from concealment
artillery · barrage · infantry · flank · tactics · offensive · counterattack · incursion
Opposition between parties
- hostilitiesActive armed fighting
- occupationOne's regular paid work
- invasionForcible entry into territory
- soldiersMilitary personnel who fight
explosions · mortar · grenades · sniper · destruction · rubble · refugees · checkpoint
Military defensive excavation
- dugoutCarved-log canoe
- parapetLow wall at edge
- no-man's-landUnclaimed disputed territory
- entrenchmentFortified or fixed position
bunker · sandbags · earthwork · redoubt · sapper · revetment · breastwork · periscope
Sealing off a place
- encirclementSurrounding enemy forces completely
- besiegeSurround to force surrender
- breachBreaking of agreement
- barricadeObstacle blocking a path
stronghold · rampart · garrison · fortification · trebuchet · catapult · moat · impregnable
Labored effort against resistance
- confrontationDirect hostile encounter
- showdownDecisive final confrontation
- standoffUnresolved confrontation between opponents
- campaignOrganized effort toward goal
fight · advocacy · activism · resistance · movement · cause · opposition · mobilization
firefight
Exchange of gunfire
- assaultViolent offensive act
- skirmishBrief, limited combat
- engagementCommitment to wed or attend
ambush · artillery · barrage · infantry · flank · tactics · offensive · counterattack · incursion · onslaught
conflict
Opposition between parties
- hostilitiesActive armed fighting
- occupationOne's regular paid work
- invasionForcible entry into territory
soldiers · explosions · mortar · grenades · sniper · destruction · rubble · refugees · checkpoint · evacuation
foxhole
Military defensive excavation
- dugoutCarved-log canoe
- parapetLow wall at edge
- no-man's-landUnclaimed disputed territory
entrenchment · bunker · sandbags · earthwork · redoubt · sapper · revetment · breastwork · periscope · minefield
blockade
Sealing off a place
- encirclementSurrounding enemy forces completely
- besiegeSurround to force surrender
- breachBreaking of agreement
barricade · stronghold · rampart · garrison · fortification · trebuchet · catapult · moat · impregnable · sally
struggle
Labored effort against resistance
- confrontationDirect hostile encounter
- showdownDecisive final confrontation
- standoffUnresolved confrontation between opponents
campaign · fight · advocacy · activism · resistance · movement · cause · opposition · mobilization · rallying
- frontsstorefront, waterfront, beachfront, lakefront, oceanfront
- warfareattack, war, armed conflict, military strategy, wars
battlefrontrear echelon
Non-combat support zone
rear · rearguard · home front · rear area · home base
battlefrontpeace zone
Area free from conflict
demilitarized zone · neutral territory · safe haven · sanctuary · peacetime
battlefronthome front
Civilian sector during war
homefront · civilian life · domestic sphere · stateside · safe zone