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dogfight

American  
[dawg-fahyt, dog-] / ˈdɔgˌfaɪt, ˈdɒg- /

noun

  1. a violent fight between dogs.

  2. a fight between warring fighter planes.

  3. any rough-and-tumble physical battle.

verb (used with object)

dogfought, dogfighting

  1. to engage in a dogfight with.

verb (used without object)

dogfought, dogfighting

  1. to engage in a dogfight.

dogfight British  
/ ˈdɒɡˌfaɪt /

noun

  1. close quarters combat between fighter aircraft

  2. any rough violent fight

"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

Etymology

Origin of dogfight

1650–60; 1915 dogfight for def. 2; dog + fight

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.

One night I tossed for an hour while dogfights raged overhead, streaking my patch of sky with fire.

From Literature

Held together with scrounged parts and ingenuity, Iran’s aging jets are falling in dogfights.

From The Wall Street Journal

Known for: Highly maneuverable, supersonic light fighter, excellent dogfighting capabilities.

From The Wall Street Journal

Williams didn’t speak about the details of the encounter — even with family members — until records about the dogfight were declassified in 2002.

From Los Angeles Times

It was a dogfight and Italy's dogs were just that bit more menacing.

From BBC

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.