fist
1 Americannoun
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the hand closed tightly, with the fingers doubled into the palm.
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Informal. the hand.
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Informal. a person's handwriting.
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Printing. index.
verb (used with object)
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to make (one's hand) into a fist.
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to grasp in the fist.
noun
noun
verb
Other Word Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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have fistedperfect
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has fistedperfect 3rd person singular
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is fistingprogressive 3rd person singular
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am fistingprogressive 1st person singular
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have been fistingperfect progressive
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are fistingprogressive
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has been fistingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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fistingparticiple
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fistssingular 3rd person
Past
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had fistedperfect
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were fistingprogressive plural
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had been fistingperfect progressive
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was fistingprogressive singular
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fistedparticiple
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fistedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of fist
before 900; Middle English; Old English fȳst; cognate with German Faust fist; perhaps akin to five
Explanation
Want to hit a punching bag? First you need to curl your fingers into your palm to make a fist, or a clenched hand. You might make a fist and bump it against your friend's as a greeting, or use it to clutch something tightly: "She held the balloon in one fist, and an ice cream cone in the other." Fists are also used to punch hard, and a fist fight is a serious physical altercation. When we trace this word back to its origin, we find a closely related root meaning "five," for the five fingers of a hand.
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.
Raman then went on the dance floor to greet well-wishers, pumping her fist while a DJ blasted Daft Punk’s “Lose Yourself to Dance.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 3, 2026
You see the fist before anything else, glowing in the hot Florida sun.
From Slate • Jun. 2, 2026
Prosecutors say El Hishri ran the prison with an iron fist, with special responsibility over the women's section.
From Barron's • May 19, 2026
Hoover was competent and corrupt, famously controlling the FBI with an iron fist.
From Salon • May 8, 2026
I was in the elevator before I realized I was still clutching the bills in my fist.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
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.
