fisticuff

[ fis-ti-kuhf ]

noun

1. a cuff or blow with the fist.
2. fisticuffs, combat with the fists.

verb (used with or without object)

1. to strike or fight with the fists.

Other Words From

• fisti·cuffer noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of fisticuff¹

1595–1605; earlier fisty cuff. See fist ¹, -y ¹, cuff ²

Example Sentences

But Kagan, joined by seven other justices, said, “The occasion in the hypothetical is the barroom brawl, not each individual fisticuff.”

From Washington Post

Haunts where we’d dance and drink and maybe mack, where on occasion we’d scrap alongside one another if someone ended up in a fisticuff, nights it was not uncommon for gunshots to hasten our exodus.

From New York Times

In this version of ancient Egypt, the gods live right alongside the mortals, towering over them in a fairly jarring visual to viewers and spend plenty of time battling giant monsters, dodging crumbling ancient ruins and bleeding gold during every fisticuff.

From Washington Times

“What we can determine right now from the witnesses and video is that a fisticuff broke out, and then a gunfight directly thereafter,” Chief Boyce said.

From New York Times

It was not often that my siblings had true fights, but when they did, they were monster, one-on-one fisticuff affairs, and Helen had picked the Mount Everest of fighters.

From Literature

Related Words

• bat
• blow
• punch
• shot
• swing