fist

[ fist ]

/ fɪst /

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noun

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

Informal. the hand.

Informal. a person's handwriting.

Printing. index (def. 8).

verb (used with object)

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

to grasp in the fist.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of fist

before 900; Middle English; Old English fȳst; cognate with German Faust fist; perhaps akin to five

Other definitions for fist (2 of 2)

fist²

[ fahyst ]

/ faɪst /

noun

feist.

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

How to use fist in a sentence

As scripted, the roll of states was called in alphabetical order, and when it reached California, which Gore won, he jokingly pumped a fist in the air.
‘Grace and humor’: The vice presidents who certified their own election losses|Gillian Brockell|January 2, 2021|Washington Post
Last, make a fist sized ventilation hole in the roof of the quinzhee.
Winter survival shelters you should know how to build|By Tim MacWelch/Outdoor Life|December 21, 2020|Popular-Science
It’s like a bully—albeit, quite a beautiful one—asking for a handout to protect you from his fist.
The Sight of Jupiter and Saturn Together Is a Beautiful Thing - Facts So Romantic|Sean Raymond & Sebastiaan Krijt|December 21, 2020|Nautilus
The team’s cheerleaders changed their version of it at the start of the season to using a closed fist, rather than an open palm.
Blackhawks reiterate ‘commitment’ to keeping name following Indians’ plan on change|Des Bieler|December 18, 2020|Washington Post

Sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos were famously kicked out of the Olympic Village at the 1968 Summer Games after they raised gloved fists on the medals podium.
After pushback, U.S. Olympic leaders say they won’t punish athletes for social justice protests|Rick Maese|December 10, 2020|Washington Post
Some Egyptians find this iron-fisted approach very appealing.
Egypt Prepares to Anoint a Dictator and Call it an Election|Jesse Rosenfeld|May 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But for a military-installed regime determined to bring iron-fisted order to Egypt, that may make little difference.
Al Jazeera Journalists Are On Trial in Egypt for Doing Their Jobs|Jesse Rosenfeld|March 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As Mercatus Center bitcoin expert Jerry Brito has written, government regulation can either be ham-fisted or light to the touch.
Bitcoin Forever!|Nick Gillespie|February 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To Chicago he was still two-fisted, hard-drinking, cantankerous.
The Stacks: John Schulian’s Classic Profile of Newspaper Columnist Mike Royko|John Schulian|January 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Imagine what he looks like on a bad day—a day spent reading this hideous, ham-fisted book, say.
Jack Nicholson Deserves a Better Biography Than This|Christopher Bray|October 31, 2013|DAILY BEAST
There came other guests: a German, hard-fisted, bullet-headed—editor of an East Side labor-paper.
Love's Pilgrimage|Upton Sinclair
With this girl I shared all my possessions, although before I knew her I had been considered close-fisted.
The Sexual Life of the Child|Albert Moll
Who has stood your friend with your close-fisted old father when you have lost money at play that you could not pay?
The Prime Minister|Anthony Trollope
Despite this, the Americans are hard-fisted, shrewd, and as a nation a match for any in the field of cunning.
As A Chinaman Saw Us|Anonymous
Can't you name some one in this town who is known to be the most hard-fisted old miser in the place?
The Impostures of Scapin|(Poquelin) Moliere

British Dictionary definitions for fist

fist

/ (fɪst) /

noun

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

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

an informal word for hand, index (def. 9)

verb

(tr) to hit with the fist

Word Origin for fist

Old English fӯst; related to Old Frisian fest, Old Saxon, Old High German fūst; see five

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 fist

fist

see hand over fist.

fist

Origin of fist

Other definitions for fist (2 of 2)

Words related to fist

How to use fist in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for fist

Word Origin for fist

Other Idioms and Phrases with fist