fisticuff

[ fis-ti-kuhf ]

/ ˈfɪs tɪˌkʌf /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fisticuff ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a cuff or blow with the fist.

fisticuffs, combat with the fists.

verb (used with or without object)

to strike or fight with the fists.

RELATED WORDS

boxing, encounter, fight

Nearby words

Origin of fisticuff

1595–1605; earlier fisty cuff. See fist¹, -y¹, cuff²

Related formsfist·i·cuff·er, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fisticuffs

If you had an argument with man that escalated to fisticuffs you set your weapons aside.
'Let's Talk About Guns' Live Chat Transcript|David Frum|January 25, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The sport is decaying, and fisticuffs (far more degrading work) are ousting it altogether.
Perlycross|R. D. Blackmore
Immediately he became the most notorious barber in the Five Towns, on account of his gab and his fisticuffs.
The Matador of the Five Towns and Other Stories|Arnold Bennett
Reasons are as plentiful as blackberries; and, like fisticuffs, they serve impartially with all sides.
The Works of Robert Louis Stevenson - Swanston Edition|Robert Louis Stevenson

I am not sure, but I believe it actually came to fisticuffs.
The Red Room|August Strindberg
"Well, let it be fisticuffs," said Taras Bulba, turning up his sleeves.
Taras Bulba and Other Tales|Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol

British Dictionary definitions for fisticuffs

fisticuffs

/ (ˈfɪstɪˌkʌfs) /

pl n

combat with the fists

Word Origin for fisticuffs

C17: probably from fisty with the fist + cuff ²

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

Word Origin and History for fisticuffs

fisticuffs

c.1600, from fist (n.) + cuff, perhaps in imitation of handiwork. Related: Fisticuff.