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definitions

fitting

[fit-ing]
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR fitting ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

suitable or appropriate; proper or becoming.

noun

the act of a person or thing that fits.
an act or instance of trying on clothes that are being made or altered to determine proper fit.
anything provided as equipment, parts, supply, etc.
Usually fittings. furniture, fixtures, etc., as of a building or apartment.

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RELATED WORDS

proper, apt, felicitous, furniture, meet, becoming, right, correct, due, extra, accouterment, appointment, equipment, attachment, paraphernalia, component, convenience, instrument, connection, part

Nearby words

  1. fitspiration,
  2. fitspo,
  3. fitted,
  4. fitten,
  5. fitter,
  6. fitting room,
  7. fittingly,
  8. fittipaldi,
  9. fittonia,
  10. fitz

Origin of fitting

First recorded in 1525–35; fit1 + -ing2, -ing1
Related forms

fit

1
[fit]

adjective, fit·ter, fit·test.

adapted or suited; appropriate: This water isn't fit for drinking. A long-necked giraffe is fit for browsing treetops.
proper or becoming: fit behavior.
qualified or competent, as for an office or function: a fit candidate.
prepared or ready: crops fit for gathering.
in good physical condition; in good health: He's fit for the race.
Biology.
  1. being adapted to the prevailing conditions and producing offspring that survive to reproductive age.
  2. contributing genetic information to the gene pool of the next generation.
  3. (of a population) maintaining or increasing the group's numbers in the environment.

verb (used with object), fit·ted or fit, fit·ting.

to be adapted to or suitable for (a purpose, object, occasion, etc.).
to be proper or becoming for.
to be of the right size or shape for: The dress fitted her perfectly.
to adjust or make conform: to fit a ring to the finger.
to make qualified or competent: qualities that fit one for leadership.
to prepare: This school fits students for college.
to put with precise placement or adjustment: He fitted the picture into the frame.
to provide; furnish; equip: to fit a door with a new handle.

verb (used without object), fit·ted or fit, fit·ting.

to be suitable or proper.
to be of the right size or shape, as a garment for the wearer or any object or part for a thing to which it is applied: The shoes fit.

noun

the manner in which a thing fits: The fit was perfect.
something that fits: The coat is a poor fit.
the process of fitting.

Verb Phrases

fit out/up, to furnish with supplies, equipment, clothing, furniture, or other requisites; supply; equip: to fit out an expedition.

Origin of fit

1
1325–75; Middle English fitten; akin to Middle Dutch vitten to befit
Related formsfit·ta·ble, adjectiveun·fit·ta·ble, adjective

Usage note

Both fit and fitted are standard as past tense and past participle of fit1 : The new door fit (or fitted ) the old frame perfectly. The suit had fitted (or fit ) well last year. Fitted is somewhat more common than fit in the sense “to adjust, make conform”: The tailor fitted the suit with a minimum of fuss. In the passive voice, fitted is the more common past participle: The door was fitted with a new handle.

fit

4
[fit]

verb Nonstandard (chiefly Older Use ).

simple past tense of fight.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for fitting

British Dictionary definitions for fitting

fitting

adjective

appropriate or proper; suitable

noun

an accessory or partan electrical fitting
(plural) furnishings or accessories in a building
work carried out by a fitter
the act of trying on clothes so that they can be adjusted to fit
British size in clothes or shoesa narrow fitting
Derived Formsfittingly, adverbfittingness, noun

fit

1

verb fits, fitting or fitted or US fit

to be appropriate or suitable for (a situation, etc)
to be of the correct size or shape for (a connection, container, etc)
(tr) to adjust in order to render appropriatethey had to fit the idea to their philosophy
(tr) to supply with that which is needed
(tr) to try clothes on (someone) in order to make adjustments if necessary
(tr) to make competent or readythe experience helped to fit him for the task
(tr) to locate with care
(intr) to correspond with the facts or circumstances

adjective fitter or fittest

suitable to a purpose or design; appropriate
having the right qualifications; qualifying
in good health
worthy or deservinga book fit to be read
(foll by an infinitive) in such an extreme condition that a specified consequence is likelyshe was fit to scream; you look fit to drop
mainly British informal (of a person) sexually attractive

noun

the manner in which something fits
the act or process of fitting
statistics the correspondence between observed and predicted characteristics of a distribution or modelSee goodness of fit
See also fit in, fit out, fit up
Derived Formsfittable, adjective

Word Origin for fit

C14: probably from Middle Dutch vitten; related to Old Norse fitja to knit

fit

2

noun

pathol a sudden attack or convulsion, such as an epileptic seizure
a sudden spell of emotiona fit of anger
an impulsive period of activity or lack of activity; mooda fit of laziness
give a person a fit to surprise a person in an outrageous manner
have a fit or throw a fit informal to become very angry or excited
in fits and starts or by fits and starts in spasmodic spells; irregularly

verb fits, fitting or fitted

(intr) informal to have a sudden attack or convulsion, such as an epileptic seizure

Word Origin for fit

Old English fitt conflict; see fit ³

fit

3

noun

archaic a story or song or a section of a story or song

Word Origin for fit

Old English fitt; related to Old Norse fit hem, Old High German fizza yarn
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 fitting
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Idioms and Phrases with fitting

fit

In addition to the idioms beginning with fit

  • fit as a fiddle
  • fit in
  • fit like a glove
  • fit out
  • fits and starts, by
  • fit to be tied
  • fit to kill

also see:

  • give someone fits
  • have a fit
  • if the shoe fits
  • see fit to
  • survival of the fittest
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.