fight

[ fahyt ]

verb (used without object)

, fought, fight·ing.

1. to engage in battle or in single combat; attempt to defend oneself against or to subdue, defeat, or destroy an adversary:

   Our library has records on nearly 60,000 men from West Virginia who fought in World War I.

2. to contend in any manner; strive vigorously for or against something:

   He fought bravely against despair.

3. to have an angry argument or disagreement:

   I'm not happy about my wife bringing a surprise dog home, but I don't want to fight about it.

verb (used with object)

, fought, fight·ing.

1. to contend with in battle or combat; war against:

   England fought Germany in both World Wars.

2. to contend with or against in any manner:

   We hope to foster dialogue and fight hatred.

   Democratic and Republican senators united to fight the passage of this controversial bill.

3. to carry on (a battle, duel, etc.):

   The Normans fought the battle of Hastings in 1066, defeating the Anglo-Saxons and changing the course of English history.

4. to press or aggressively pursue (an argument, cause, contentious issue, etc.):

   She fought her case all the way to the nation's highest court.

5. to make (one's way) by contending or striving:

   The team fought their way to the second round of the tournament, but were eliminated there.

6. to cause or set (a boxer, animal, etc.) to fight.
7. to manage or maneuver (troops, ships, guns, planes, etc.) in battle.

noun

1. a battle or combat:

   I found two of my students in a fight during lunch.

   Synonyms: riot, row, tussle, scuffle, melee, skirmish, action, fray, affray, engagement, encounter

2. any contest or struggle:

   She had a long fight for recovery from her illness.

   Synonyms: tussle, scuffle, melee, skirmish, action, fray, affray, engagement, encounter, riot, row

3. an angry argument or disagreement:

   Whenever we discuss politics, we end up in a fight.

4. Boxing. a bout or contest.
5. a game or diversion in which the participants hit or pelt each other with something harmless:

   a pillow fight;

   a water fight.

6. ability, will, or inclination to fight:

   There was no fight left in him.

fight

/ faɪt /

verb

1. to oppose or struggle against (an enemy) in battle
2. to oppose or struggle against (a person, thing, cause, etc) in any manner
3. tr to engage in or carry on (a battle, contest, etc)
4. whenintr often foll by for to uphold or maintain (a cause, ideal, etc) by fighting or struggling

   to fight for freedom

5. tr to make or achieve (a way) by fighting
6. intr boxing
   1. to box, as for a living
   2. to use aggressive rough tactics
7. to engage (another or others) in combat
8. fight it out
   to contend or struggle until a decisive result is obtained
9. fight shy of
   to keep aloof from

noun

1. a battle, struggle, or physical combat
2. a quarrel, dispute, or contest
3. resistance (esp in the phrase to put up a fight )
4. the desire to take part in physical combat (esp in the phrase to show fight )
5. a boxing match

Derived Forms

• ˈfighting, nounadjective

Other Words From

• fight·a·ble adjective
• fight·a·bil·i·ty [fahy-t, uh, -, bil, -i-tee], noun
• fight·ing·ly adverb
• out·fight verb (used with object) outfought outfighting
• pre·fight adjective
• re·fight verb refought refighting
• un·fight·a·ble adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of fight¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English verb fi(g)hten, Old English fe(o)htan; cognate with German fechten; noun derivative of the verb

Word History and Origins

Origin of fight¹

Old English feohtan ; related to Old Frisian fiuchta , Old Saxon, Old High German fehtan to fight

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. fight it out, to fight until a decision is reached:

   Let them fight it out among themselves.

2. fight like cats and dogs, to argue constantly or ferociously:

   We worked through our differences later, but those years we were together, we fought like cats and dogs.

3. fight shy of. shy ¹( def 12 ).
4. fight with windmills. tilt ¹( def 18 ).

More idioms and phrases containing fight

• can't fight city hall

Synonym Study

Fight, combat, conflict, contest denote a struggle of some kind. Fight connotes a hand-to-hand struggle for supremacy, literally or in a figurative sense. Combat suggests an armed encounter, as in war. Conflict implies a bodily, mental, or moral struggle caused by opposing views, beliefs, etc. Contest applies to either a friendly or a hostile struggle for a definite prize or aim.

Example Sentences

The president relied on the military, rather than the police, to fight organized crime groups, which are among Mexico’s largest employers.

From Los Angeles Times

The letter has been prompted by growing concerns about some of the countries chosen to host COP talks and their ability to deliver a significant advance in the fight against rising temperatures.

From BBC

One could read and watch a lifetime of reporting on this subject and still not have a firm handle on its nuances, contradictions, factions, facts and figures of the fight for, and against, Irish independence and reunification — a story going back centuries.

From Los Angeles Times

The fight to find her remains provides the series’ most moving moments, but it’s Dolours who is its dramatic key.

From Los Angeles Times

“Say Nothing” begins in a state of knotted tension: an introductory voiceover by Lola Petticrew’s resolute Dolours Price lets us know we’re walking in on a fight between the British and the Irish, “the same old s**te,” that’s spanned 800 years.

From Salon

Related Words

• argue
• combat
• continue
• engage in
• force
• maintain
• oppose
• resist
• support