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barefisted

American  
[bair-fis-tid] / ˈbɛərˈfɪs tɪd /

adjective

  1. with the fists bare.

    a fierce, barefisted fight; to fight barefisted.

Etymology

Origin of barefisted

bare 1 + fist 1 ( def. ) + -ed 3 ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

He was raised mostly by a strong mother who could cheer him on in a barefisted street brawl but stood resolutely in his way when he toyed with the idea of a professional fight career.

From Time Magazine Archive

Shipping can be a hard-knuckled business, but never had the Australian Tonnage Committee, a group of 15 shipping companies involved in Europe-Australia trade, heard such a barefisted challenge.

From Time Magazine Archive

Last week, as it became apparent that this glittering prize was genuinely up for grabs, Britain's politicians took off the gloves and began to slug it out barefisted.

From Time Magazine Archive

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.