fight

[ fahyt ]

See synonyms for: fight fighting fought on Thesaurus.com

noun

a battle or combat.
any contest or struggle: a fight for recovery from an illness.

an angry argument or disagreement: Whenever we discuss politics, we end up in a fight.
Boxing. a bout or contest.
a game or diversion in which the participants hit or pelt each other with something harmless: a pillow fight;a water fight.
ability, will, or inclination to fight: There was no fight left in him.

verb (used without object),fought, fight·ing.

to engage in battle or in single combat; attempt to defend oneself against or to subdue, defeat, or destroy an adversary.
to contend in any manner; strive vigorously for or against something: He fought bravely against despair.

verb (used with object),fought, fight·ing.

to contend with in battle or combat; war against: England fought Germany.
to contend with or against in any manner: to fight despair;to fight the passage of a bill.

to carry on (a battle, duel, etc.).
to maintain (a cause, quarrel, etc.) by fighting or contending.
to make (one's way) by fighting or striving.
to cause or set (a boxer, animal, etc.) to fight.
to manage or maneuver (troops, ships, guns, planes, etc.) in battle.

Idioms about fight

fight it out, to fight until a decision is reached: Let them fight it out among themselves.
fight shy of. shy¹ (def. 12).

fight with windmills. tilt¹ (def. 18).

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

synonym study For fight

1, 2. 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 words for fight

1, 2	encounter, engagement, affray, fray, action, skirmish, melee; scuffle, tussle, row, riot

See synonyms for fight on Thesaurus.com

Other words from fight

fight·a·ble, adjective
fight·a·bil·i·ty, noun
fight·ing·ly, adverb
outfight, verb (used with object), out·fought, out·fight·ing.
pre·fight, adjective
re·fight, verb, re·fought, re·fight·ing.
un·fight·a·ble, adjective

Words Nearby fight

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use fight in a sentence

The shift toward culture fights driven by conservative media has real implications for the evolution and expectations of that group of Americans, including an erosion in the democratic system the GOP was built to leverage.
What happens to an entrenched two-party system when one party undermines the system? | Philip Bump | February 12, 2021 | Washington Post
By the time the fight finishes, Irene has backed out of the elevator, staring.
What floor? | Sophia Nguyen | February 12, 2021 | Washington Post
That's one possible explanation for why so many species have evolved various defensive structures to protect them from damage during a fight.
Caged heat: Mesquite bugs battle in a plastic cup—for science! | Jennifer Ouellette | February 11, 2021 | Ars Technica
With the Washington Wizards back at Capital One Arena for the first time in a week Wednesday, one of the things Coach Scott Brooks hoped his team would carry from its up-and-down trip was the importance of fight.
The Wizards’ defense again lets them down in loss at home to Raptors | Ava Wallace | February 11, 2021 | Washington Post
In the nation’s capital, teachers and students returned to school buildings last week after a drawn-out fight over how and when classrooms would reopen.
Chicago reaches deal with teachers to reopen school buildings | Moriah Balingit | February 10, 2021 | Washington Post

Gay marriage was the hot-button fight on the left and right.
Jeb Bush’s Unseen Anti-Gay Marriage Emails | Jackie Kucinich | January 9, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Iraq may have been an irregular fight, but it had major moments.
Pentagon Doesn’t Know How Many People It’s Killed in the ISIS War | Nancy A. Youssef | January 7, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
The U.S. military is finally starting to train Iraqi troops to fight ISIS in restive Anbar province.
Pentagon Insider on New Plan to Fight ISIS: ‘Of Course It’s Not Enough’ | Nancy A. Youssef | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
She says she will have to fight in “other ways” to get her client freed.
Amal Clooney vs. Egypt’s Courts | Christopher Dickey | January 4, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Starting in the 1970s, then MPAA president Jack Valenti began what was to become a decades-long fight against the quota system.
Propaganda, Protest, and Poisonous Vipers: The Cinema War in Korea | Rich Goldstein | December 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It was more like the boarding of a ship than any land fight I had ever seen or imagined.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV. | Various
The fight lasted two days, and only two men out of the five hundred escaped with their lives.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV. | Various
But they soon fell out, for Murat had the audacity to try and make these patriots fight instead of merely seeking plunder.
Napoleon's Marshals | R. P. Dunn-Pattison
It was found afterwards that the rebels meant to fight the two British forces in detail before they could effect a junction.
The Red Year | Louis Tracy
Ike had read the "Herald," with all about "the great prize fight" in it, and had become entirely carried away with it.
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun; | Various

British Dictionary definitions for fight

fight

/ (faɪt) /

verbfights, fighting or fought

to oppose or struggle against (an enemy) in battle
to oppose or struggle against (a person, thing, cause, etc) in any manner

(tr) to engage in or carry on (a battle, contest, etc)
(when intr often foll by for) to uphold or maintain (a cause, ideal, etc) by fighting or struggling: to fight for freedom
(tr) to make or achieve (a way) by fighting
(intr) boxing
- to box, as for a living
- to use aggressive rough tactics
to engage (another or others) in combat
fight it out to contend or struggle until a decisive result is obtained
fight shy of to keep aloof from

noun

a battle, struggle, or physical combat
a quarrel, dispute, or contest

resistance (esp in the phrase to put up a fight)
the desire to take part in physical combat (esp in the phrase to show fight)
a boxing match

Origin of fight

Old English feohtan; related to Old Frisian fiuchta, Old Saxon, Old High German fehtan to fight

See also fight back, fight off

Derived forms of fight

fighting, noun, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with fight

fight

In addition to the idioms beginning with fight

fight fire with fire
fighting chance
fighting words
fight it out
fight off
fight shy of
fight tooth and nail

also see:

can't fight city hall

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