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
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.
Fist clenched over his heart, Westlake belted out God Save the Queen with such gusto, that images were shared widely across the internet, spawning a hashtag #DoItLikeHarry.
From BBC • Feb. 26, 2026
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
Fist gave him a raw potato, which he crunched up with strong white teeth.
From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer
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.
