fight
Americanverb (used without object)
-
fights,
present (3rd person singular)
-
fought,
past participle, past
-
fighting
present participle
-
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.
-
to contend in any manner; strive vigorously for or against something.
He fought bravely against despair.
-
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)
-
fights,
present (3rd person singular)
-
fought,
past participle, past
-
fighting
present participle
-
to contend with in battle or combat; war against.
England fought Germany in both World Wars.
-
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.
-
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.
-
to press or aggressively pursue (an argument, cause, contentious issue, etc.).
She fought her case all the way to the nation's highest court.
-
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.
-
to cause or set (a boxer, animal, etc.) to fight.
-
to manage or maneuver (troops, ships, guns, planes, etc.) in battle.
noun
-
fights
plural
-
a battle or combat.
I found two of my students in a fight during lunch.
-
any contest or struggle.
She had a long fight for recovery from her 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.
idioms
-
fight it out, to fight until a decision is reached.
Let them fight it out among themselves.
-
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.
-
fight with windmills. tilt.
-
fight shy of. shy.
verb
-
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)
-
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
-
to contend or struggle until a decisive result is obtained
-
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
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
-
fightabilitynoun
-
fightingnoun
-
refightverb
-
outfightverb (used with object)
-
fightableadjective
-
prefightadjective
-
unfightableadjective
-
fightinglyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
fightsimple
-
fightssimple
-
have foughtperfect
-
has foughtperfect
-
am fightingprogressive
-
are fightingprogressive
-
is fightingprogressive
-
have been fightingperfect progressive
-
has been fightingperfect progressive
Past
-
foughtsimple
-
had foughtperfect
-
was fightingprogressive
-
were fightingprogressive
-
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:
"My fight is entering a new phase, but it is far from over."
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
For example, there’s a scene in “Indecent Proposal,” where Demi Moore is having a fight with Woody Harrelson and I was having something similar with my wife, just screaming and yelling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
Brigades from across the East of England joined forces to fight the flames, including from Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Essex.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
Neon signs that once lighted up cities are slowly going away as remaining artisans fight to preserve the tradition.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
For a moment he reacts as he would have reacted just yesterday, before we had the fight.
From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse
Paramount’s chief legal officer, Makan Delrahim, said Tuesday that a potential move out of state is on the table as it fights to close the $81 billion deal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026
He also denied prior knowledge of the fights over the land.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
The growth has unfolded as the company fights on several legal fronts.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
Notably, it’s been able to be innovative in terms of how it fights.
From Slate ● Aug. 6, 2026
She fights to work her hair into a pile on top of her head, like getting that locked down will replace the fact that they’re stuffed into a tight space with Frank’s old junk.
From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers
“We’re constantly searching in the dark,” she said, “which is why I’ve always fought to separate the city from this broken system.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
"For several years the two popes and their supporters fought for control of Rome, with Honorius retaining powerful backing from the Holy Roman Empire and attracting support elsewhere in northern Europe."
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
Despite comfortably beating Kielholtz on her return, Ditcheva says she fought the majority of the contest with two broken hands.
From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026
In financial filings, Cook has reported that her legal expenses rose to more than $1 million, backed by donations, as she fought to keep her job.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026
She fought back another yawn and was grateful she had any sort of bed to sleep in that night.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
“The long end of the curve is fighting a lot of forces,” said Andrew Szczurowski, strategic income portfolio manager at Morgan Stanley Investment Management.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026
These attempts are longstanding and help explain why the U.S. is fighting.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
The Norman Conquest has traditionally been viewed largely as a dynastic crisis that followed the death of Edward the Confessor, with competing claimants fighting for control of the English throne.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 11, 2026
Kate Matthews of the Save Our Mearns campaign group, fighting plans for upgraded pylons in north-east Scotland including the Kintore to Tealing project, said the discount scheme was an insult.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
I pedaled back to the Beje fighting back tears of anxiety.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
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.
