1
: a fight between dogs
broadly
: a fiercely disputed contest
2
: a fight between two or more fighter planes usually at close quarters
dogfight
intransitive verb
Examples of dogfight in a Sentence
He was shot down in a dogfight over enemy territory.
The election has turned into a real dogfight.
Recent Examples on the Web
In a low, twisting, turning dogfight, the P-40 would lose.
—
Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2025
What used to be a season of racking up Top 10s and Top Fives is now a weekly dogfight for every position.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 27 Aug. 2025
The match, described as a ‘dogfight’ by Flanagan, was decided by the forwards, with Bond scoring a pushover try, the game’s only score.
—Peter Carline, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Mount Dora won a dogfight last year at home against Tavares 15-12 and made the playoffs, losing to Dunnellon in the first round.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dogfight
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Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2025
What used to be a season of racking up Top 10s and Top Fives is now a weekly dogfight for every position.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 27 Aug. 2025
The match, described as a ‘dogfight’ by Flanagan, was decided by the forwards, with Bond scoring a pushover try, the game’s only score.
—Peter Carline, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Mount Dora won a dogfight last year at home against Tavares 15-12 and made the playoffs, losing to Dunnellon in the first round.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dogfight
Cite this Entry
“Dogfight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dogfight. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.
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