fight

[ fahyt ]
See synonyms for fight on Thesaurus.com
verb (used without object),fought, fight·ing.
  1. 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.

  2. to contend in any manner; strive vigorously for or against something: He fought bravely against despair.

  1. 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.

verb (used with object),fought, fight·ing.
  1. to contend with in battle or combat; war against: England fought Germany in both World Wars.

  2. 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.

  1. 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.

  2. to press or aggressively pursue (an argument, cause, contentious issue, etc.): She fought her case all the way to the nation's highest court.

  3. 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.

  4. to cause or set (a boxer, animal, etc.) to fight.

  5. to manage or maneuver (troops, ships, guns, planes, etc.) in battle.

noun
  1. a battle or combat: I found two of my students in a fight during lunch.

  2. any contest or struggle: She had a long fight for recovery from her illness.

  1. an angry argument or disagreement: Whenever we discuss politics, we end up in a fight.

  2. Boxing. a bout or contest.

  3. a game or diversion in which the participants hit or pelt each other with something harmless: a pillow fight;a water fight.

  4. ability, will, or inclination to fight: There was no fight left in him.

Idioms about fight

  1. fight it out, to fight until a decision is reached: Let them fight it out among themselves.

  2. 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.

  1. fight shy of. shy1 (def. 12).

  2. fight with windmills. tilt1 (def. 18).

Origin of fight

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English verb fi(g)hten, Old English fe(o)htan; cognate with German fechten; noun derivative of the verb

synonym study For fight

11, 12. Fight, combat, conflict, contest denote a struggle of some kind. Fight connotes a hand-to-hand struggle for supremacy, literally or in a figurative sense. Combat suggests an armed encounter, as in war. Conflict implies a bodily, mental, or moral struggle caused by opposing views, beliefs, etc. Contest applies to either a friendly or a hostile struggle for a definite prize or aim.

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

British Dictionary definitions for fight

fight

/ (faɪt) /


verbfights, fighting or fought
  1. to oppose or struggle against (an enemy) in battle

  2. to oppose or struggle against (a person, thing, cause, etc) in any manner

  1. (tr) to engage in or carry on (a battle, contest, etc)

  2. (when intr often foll by for) to uphold or maintain (a cause, ideal, etc) by fighting or struggling: to fight for freedom

  3. (tr) to make or achieve (a way) by fighting

  4. (intr) boxing

    • to box, as for a living

    • to use aggressive rough tactics

  5. to engage (another or others) in combat

  6. fight it out to contend or struggle until a decisive result is obtained

  7. fight shy of to keep aloof from

noun
  1. a battle, struggle, or physical combat

  2. a quarrel, dispute, or contest

  1. resistance (esp in the phrase to put up a fight)

  2. the desire to take part in physical combat (esp in the phrase to show fight)

  3. a boxing match

Origin of fight

1
Old English feohtan; related to Old Frisian fiuchta, Old Saxon, Old High German fehtan to fight

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

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.