fight
to engage in battle or in single combat; attempt to defend oneself against or to subdue, defeat, or destroy an adversary: Our library has records on nearly 60,000 men from West Virginia who fought in World War I.
to contend in any manner; strive vigorously for or against something: He fought bravely against despair.
to have an angry argument or disagreement: I'm not happy about my wife bringing a surprise dog home, but I don't want to fight about it.
to contend with in battle or combat; war against: England fought Germany in both World Wars.
to contend with or against in any manner:We hope to foster dialogue and fight hatred.Democratic and Republican senators united to fight the passage of this controversial bill.
to carry on (a battle, duel, etc.): The Normans fought the battle of Hastings in 1066, defeating the Anglo-Saxons and changing the course of English history.
to press or aggressively pursue (an argument, cause, contentious issue, etc.): She fought her case all the way to the nation's highest court.
to make (one's way) by contending or striving: The team fought their way to the second round of the tournament, but were eliminated there.
to cause or set (a boxer, animal, etc.) to fight.
to manage or maneuver (troops, ships, guns, planes, etc.) in battle.
a battle or combat: I found two of my students in a fight during lunch.
any contest or struggle: She had a long fight for recovery from her illness.
an angry argument or disagreement: Whenever we discuss politics, we end up in a fight.
Boxing. a bout or contest.
a game or diversion in which the participants hit or pelt each other with something harmless: a pillow fight;a water fight.
ability, will, or inclination to fight: There was no fight left in him.
Idioms about fight
fight it out, to fight until a decision is reached: Let them fight it out among themselves.
fight like cats and dogs, to argue constantly or ferociously: We worked through our differences later, but those years we were together, we fought like cats and dogs.
fight shy of. shy1 (def. 12).
fight with windmills. tilt1 (def. 18).
Origin of fight
1synonym study For fight
Other words for fight
Other words from fight
- fight·a·ble, adjective
- fight·a·bil·i·ty [fahy-tuh-bil-i-tee], /ˌfaɪ təˈbɪl ɪ ti/, noun
- fight·ing·ly, adverb
- out·fight, verb (used with object), out·fought, out·fight·ing.
- pre·fight, adjective
- re·fight, verb, re·fought, re·fight·ing.
- un·fight·a·ble, adjective
Words Nearby fight
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use fight in a sentence
Gay marriage was the hot-button fight on the left and right.
Iraq may have been an irregular fight, but it had major moments.
Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War | Nancy A. Youssef | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTThe U.S. military is finally starting to train Iraqi troops to fight ISIS in restive Anbar province.
Pentagon Insider on New Plan to Fight ISIS: ‘Of Course It’s Not Enough’ | Nancy A. Youssef | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEASTShe says she will have to fight in “other ways” to get her client freed.
Starting in the 1970s, then MPAA president Jack Valenti began what was to become a decades-long fight against the quota system.
Propaganda, Protest, and Poisonous Vipers: The Cinema War in Korea | Rich Goldstein | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It was more like the boarding of a ship than any land fight I had ever seen or imagined.
The fight lasted two days, and only two men out of the five hundred escaped with their lives.
But they soon fell out, for Murat had the audacity to try and make these patriots fight instead of merely seeking plunder.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-PattisonIt was found afterwards that the rebels meant to fight the two British forces in detail before they could effect a junction.
The Red Year | Louis TracyIke had read the "Herald," with all about "the great prize fight" in it, and had become entirely carried away with it.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun; | Various
British Dictionary definitions for fight
/ (faɪt) /
to oppose or struggle against (an enemy) in battle
to oppose or struggle against (a person, thing, cause, etc) in any manner
(tr) to engage in or carry on (a battle, contest, etc)
(when intr often foll by for) to uphold or maintain (a cause, ideal, etc) by fighting or struggling: to fight for freedom
(tr) to make or achieve (a way) by fighting
(intr) boxing
to box, as for a living
to use aggressive rough tactics
to engage (another or others) in combat
fight it out to contend or struggle until a decisive result is obtained
fight shy of to keep aloof from
a battle, struggle, or physical combat
a quarrel, dispute, or contest
resistance (esp in the phrase to put up a fight)
the desire to take part in physical combat (esp in the phrase to show fight)
a boxing match
Origin of fight
1- See also fight back, fight off
Derived forms of fight
- fighting, noun, adjective
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Other Idioms and Phrases with fight
In addition to the idioms beginning with fight
- fight fire with fire
- fighting chance
- fighting words
- fight it out
- fight off
- fight shy of
- fight tooth and nail
also see:
- can't fight city hall
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
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