fight
Americanverb (used without object)
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fights,
present (3rd person singular)
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fought,
past participle, past
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fighting
present participle
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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.
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to contend in any manner; strive vigorously for or against something.
He fought bravely against despair.
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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)
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fights,
present (3rd person singular)
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fought,
past participle, past
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fighting
present participle
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to contend with in battle or combat; war against.
England fought Germany in both World Wars.
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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.
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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.
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to press or aggressively pursue (an argument, cause, contentious issue, etc.).
She fought her case all the way to the nation's highest court.
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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.
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to cause or set (a boxer, animal, etc.) to fight.
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to manage or maneuver (troops, ships, guns, planes, etc.) in battle.
noun
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fights
plural
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a battle or combat.
I found two of my students in a fight during lunch.
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any contest or struggle.
She had a long fight for recovery from her illness.
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an angry argument or disagreement.
Whenever we discuss politics, we end up in a fight.
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Boxing. a bout or contest.
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a game or diversion in which the participants hit or pelt each other with something harmless.
a pillow fight;
a water fight.
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ability, will, or inclination to fight.
There was no fight left in him.
idioms
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fight it out, to fight until a decision is reached.
Let them fight it out among themselves.
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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.
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fight with windmills. tilt.
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fight shy of. shy.
verb
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to oppose or struggle against (an enemy) in battle
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to oppose or struggle against (a person, thing, cause, etc) in any manner
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(tr) to engage in or carry on (a battle, contest, etc)
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to uphold or maintain (a cause, ideal, etc) by fighting or struggling
to fight for freedom
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(tr) to make or achieve (a way) by fighting
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(intr) boxing
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to box, as for a living
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to use aggressive rough tactics
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to engage (another or others) in combat
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to contend or struggle until a decisive result is obtained
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to keep aloof from
noun
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a battle, struggle, or physical combat
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a quarrel, dispute, or contest
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resistance (esp in the phrase to put up a fight )
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the desire to take part in physical combat (esp in the phrase to show fight )
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a boxing match
Usage
What is a basic definition of fight? A fight is a battle, contest, struggle, argument, or any clash that involves at least two opposing sides. Fight is also to engage in combat or to struggle with something. Fight has several other senses as a noun and a verb. The most common type of fight is a physical struggle between two or more people (and/or animals) that involves violence. If two men are punching and kicking each other, they are in a fight or having a fight. Fight is also used more generally to refer to any struggle, argument, or contest in which two or more sides are battling against each other, literally or figuratively.
- Real-life examples: Rowdy soccer fans sometimes have fights. Couples and families sometimes have fights, meaning arguments, when they disagree with each other. A person who is in a fight with cancer is trying to beat it by surviving the disease.
- Used in a sentence: Luanne is still sulking after our fight over who the best James Bond is.
- Real-life examples: People who hate each other often want to fight and harm each other. Two dogs that both want the same territory will fight and try to bite each other. The United States fought Spain during the Spanish American War.
- Used in a sentence: The man was punched in the face as he tried to fight his hated enemy.
- Real-life examples: Farmers often fight insects and bad weather. The police fight crime. People fight boredom by watching television or spending time with friends.
- Used in a sentence: The government tried to fight poverty by lowering taxes and providing more welfare programs.
Synonym Usage
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 Word Forms
Derived Forms
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fightabilitynoun
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fightingnoun
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refightverb
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outfightverb (used with object)
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fightableadjective
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prefightadjective
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unfightableadjective
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fightinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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fightsimple
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fightssimple
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have foughtperfect
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has foughtperfect
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am fightingprogressive
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are fightingprogressive
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is fightingprogressive
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have been fightingperfect progressive
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has been fightingperfect progressive
Past
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foughtsimple
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had foughtperfect
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was fightingprogressive
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were fightingprogressive
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had been fightingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of fight
First recorded before 900; Middle English verb fi(g)hten, Old English fe(o)htan; cognate with German fechten; noun derivative of the verb
Explanation
When you fight, you dispute or argue. Everyone disagrees from time to time, but it's sad when close friends fight. The verb fight means to engage in a struggle that involves conflict — and as a noun, fight is the conflict itself. A fight can take a physical form, like a boxing match or a playground skirmish, or it can happen with words, like a fight over politics. The ancient root of fight comes from the Proto-Indo-European prefix pek, meaning "to pluck out." Picture a hair-pulling fight, and this makes complete sense.
Vocabulary lists containing fight
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.
See Examples For:
The lymphatic system is a network of channels and glands throughout the body that helps fight infection and remove excess fluid, according to the NHS.
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is in the fight of her political life, facing a vigorous challenge from City Councilmember Nithya Raman, a savvy campaigner who was until recently a close ally.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
The cynic in me says it’s a little bit ridiculous and paradoxically doesn’t help the fight to be taken more seriously.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
Oviedo said that Mariaca's arrest took place with the "cooperation of the US government" as part of the "fight against terrorism."
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
I wished that we could help them, that I could stand up and fight shoulder to shoulder with the men who stood for freedom, but, of course, I couldn’t.
From "Glitch" by Laura Martin
Until now, UC had largely left the most aggressive court fights to faculty groups, unions and researchers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Reports emerged that Fury-Joshua could be in jeopardy and alternative fights for 11 December were being discussed, including Ryan Garcia against the recently retired three-weight undisputed champion Terence Crawford.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
A dispute over who is entitled to promote the event led to claims of contractual breaches, talk of possible replacement fights and another flurry of cryptic social-media posts.
From BBC ● Sep. 27, 2026
Ali’s mournful assassin is trying to stay one step ahead of his enemies and, likewise, the movie fights like hell to elude conventionality.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026
We spend the morning hanging out on the jetties, collecting things, and having a couple of splash fights with our feet.
From "Shouting at the Rain" by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also praised the pilot's "extraordinary bravery", saying he fought back despite being wounded and helped prevent a catastrophic mid-air disaster.
From Barron's ● Oct. 1, 2026
"We have fought so hard and we have had to use every inch of the system to get justice," she continued.
From BBC ● Sep. 30, 2026
Since then, Iraqi forces have fought Islamic State remnants engaged in a low-level insurgency around the country’s remote areas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026
In the Baltics, German Freikorps fought Bolshevik revolutionaries and local nationalists in an unsuccessful attempt to establish an independent German-dominated state.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
He fought, his lungs shrieking, back to the surface.
From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell
The accusation came as fighting intensified in Yemen.
From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026
Stodden said she would "keep fighting until children are protected from marriage in all 50 states".
From BBC ● Oct. 1, 2026
During Bessent’s tenure as secretary, the government maintained its legal stance, fighting hedge-fund managers in court.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 1, 2026
He not El Gallo Negro tonight, but he’s fighting back.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026
Silently and determinedly fighting to be free, stretching her fingers out to something only she could see, while the swamp pulled her down.
From "Rowan of Rin" by Emily Rodda
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
