Showing results for "fist"

• a variation of feist.

fist

¹ American  

[fist] / fɪst /

noun

1. the hand closed tightly, with the fingers doubled into the palm.

2. Informal. the hand.

3. Informal. a person's handwriting.

4. Printing. index.

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verb (used with object)

fists, present (3rd person singular) fisted, past participle, past fisting present participle

1. to make (one's hand) into a fist.

2. to grasp in the fist.

fist ² American  

[fahyst] / faɪst /

noun

1. feist.

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fist British  

/ fɪst /

noun

1. a hand with the fingers clenched into the palm, as for hitting

2. Also called: fistful.  the quantity that can be held in a fist or hand

3. an informal word for hand index

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verb

1. (tr) to hit with the fist

fist Idioms  

1. see hand over fist.

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Other Word Forms

Inflected Forms

Participles

• fisting
  present
• fisted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• fist
  simple
• fists
  simple
• have fisted
  perfect
• has fisted
  perfect
• am fisting
  progressive
• are fisting
  progressive
• is fisting
  progressive
• have been fisting
  perfect progressive
• has been fisting
  perfect progressive

Past

• fisted
  simple
• had fisted
  perfect
• was fisting
  progressive
• were fisting
  progressive
• had been fisting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will fist
  simple
• will have fisted
  perfect
• will be fisting
  progressive
• will have been fisting
  perfect progressive

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

Pacquaio known at home as "The National Fist" and more broadly as "PacMan," is an eight-division world champion.

From Barron's • Feb. 23, 2026

“The ‘Terrorist Fist Jab’ and Me,” Slate, July 14, 2008.

From Slate • Oct. 23, 2024

“The Bauhaus Project,” now making its world premiere in an Open Fist Theatre Company production directed by Martha Demson, surveys its subject like an introductory seminar.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 31, 2024

One Fist is made up of hackers from eight different countries including the UK, US and Poland.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2024

He had not shaved since leaving the Fist of the First Men, and the hair on his Up was soon stiff with frost.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

Related Words

• clenched fist
• hand
• paw