infighting

American  

[in-fahy-ting] / ˈɪnˌfaɪ tɪŋ /

noun

1. fighting fighting at close range.

2. fighting fighting between rivals, people closely associated, members of a group, etc.; internecine contention.

3. free-for-all fighting. fighting.

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infighting British  

/ ˈɪnˌfaɪtɪŋ /

noun

1. boxing combat at close quarters in which proper blows are inhibited and the fighters try to wear down each other's strength

2. intense competition, as between members of the same organization, esp when kept secret from outsiders

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Other Word Forms

• infighter noun

Etymology

Origin of infighting

First recorded in 1810–20; in- ¹ + fighting

Example Sentences

The 1988 presidential campaign of Alexander Haig, a former four-star general who served as Ronald Reagan’s first secretary of state, flamed out amid GOP infighting over the Iran–Contra affair.

From Slate • Apr. 6, 2026

The party is also filling a void left by a conservative opposition which is grappling with infighting and a failure to appeal to younger voters and women.

From BBC • Mar. 25, 2026

Yet Brother offered the setting for a creative reflowering — arguably the band’s final moment of unity before the start of years of more serious infighting.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

Agitation, on the other hand—the sort of I-told-ya-so infighting, finger-pointing, and disenchantment which followed Sunday’s rude playoff dismissal by San Francisco?

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 12, 2026

The National Research Council, which had been founded in 1916 as a conduit of government funds to academic institutions but had been hobbled by political infighting and academic mistrust, became revivified in the postwar years.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Related Words

• fighting
• rumble
• struggle