Origin:
before 900; (v.) Middle English fi(g)hten, Old English fe(o)htan (cognate with German fechten); (noun) Middle English fi(g)ht, Old English feohte, (ge)feoht, derivative of the v. base
Related formsfight·a·ble, adjective
fight·a·bil·i·ty, noun
fight·ing·ly, adverb
out·fight, verb (used with object), -fought, -fight·ing.
pre·fight, adjective
EXPANDre·fight, verb, -fought, -fight·ing.
un·fight·a·ble, adjective
COLLAPSESynonyms
1, 2. encounter, engagement, affray, fray, action, skirmish, melee; scuffle, tussle, row, riot. 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, to settle a dispute. 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.