fighter
Americannoun
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a boxer; pugilist.
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Military. an aircraft designed to seek out and destroy enemy aircraft in the air and to protect bomber aircraft.
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a person who fights, struggles, resists, etc.
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a person with the will, courage, determination, ability, or disposition to fight, struggle, resist, etc.
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an animal, as a dog, trained to fight or having the disposition to fight.
noun
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a person who fights, esp a professional boxer
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a person who has determination
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military an armed aircraft designed for destroying other aircraft
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of fighter
before 1000; Middle English; Old English fēohtere. See fight, -er 1
Explanation
Someone who battles or brawls with other people is a fighter. Some fighters, like boxers, do it professionally, while others just have a tendency to fight. If you have a habit of getting into scuffles or fistfights, you're a fighter, and when you watch a boxing match, you might pick one of the two fighters to root for. An animal might also be described as a fighter: lions are natural fighters, and a fish struggling hard on the end of a hook is a fighter. Other fighters work heroically for a belief or ideal: "She was a fighter in the struggle for civil rights."
Vocabulary lists containing fighter
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.
Taiwan has spent many billions of dollars buying fighter jets, high-tech missiles and drones from the United States to bolster its defences against a potential attack from China.
From Barron's • May 22, 2026
British fighter jets in the Middle East will be equipped with new missile systems to make it cheaper to intercept Iranian drones.
From BBC • May 17, 2026
Israel's military establishment still depends heavily on the United States for advanced combat platforms, including fighter aircraft, submarines and critical spare parts.
From Barron's • May 16, 2026
According to Bridarian, the card is the most expensive in MVP history, with each fighter receiving at least $40,000 — a sum greater than what UFC rookies receive.
From Los Angeles Times • May 16, 2026
Tamara Pamyatnykh and Raisa Surnachevskaya were mentioned by name as fighter pilots in an Associated Press news report in April 1943.
From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein
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.
