fighting words

Idioms

A statement bound to start a quarrel or fight. It is often expressed as them's fighting words, as in You say your father's smarter than mine? Them's fighting words. The ungrammatical use of them's for “those are” emphasizes the folksy tone of this colloquialism, first recorded in Ring Lardner's Gullible's Travels (1917).

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.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has had some fighting words for Google, too.

From Seattle Times • May 13, 2024

Well, we heard a lot of fighting words, but we didn't see a lot of soldiers.

From Salon • Jun. 16, 2023

There are exceptions for libel, incitement, obscenity and fighting words, and one for “true threats,” which is at issue in Mr. Counterman’s case.

From New York Times • Feb. 20, 2023

From the typically staid and restrained Department of Justice, these are fighting words.

From Slate • Jan. 27, 2023

They hear fighting words on the wind, when all I’m thinking is how the late-day sun reminds me of a ripe nectarine.

From "The One and Only Ivan" by Katherine Applegate

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023