1
: the hand clenched with the fingers doubled into the palm and the thumb doubled inward across the fingers
2
: the hand closed as in grasping : clutch
3
fisted; fisting; fists
Examples of fist in a Sentence
Noun
He pounded his fist on the table in anger.
She pounded on the door with both fists.
He defiantly shook his fist at the policeman.
Recent Examples on the Web
Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
Norridge, Illinois police are searching for at least three Black men who were seen on video smashing through glass display cases of a mall jewelry store and stealing fists full of items.
—Greg Wehner, Fox News, 25 Mar. 2024
In the center of the room stands a 12-foot wooden fist erected by artist Jordan Powell-Karis in George Floyd Square.
—Daniel Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 19 Mar. 2024
Elmore also allegedly put the sergeant in a chokehold and beat him with his fists, per the documents cited in the newspaper.
—Emily Palmer, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024
By the way, my cousin’s father (my uncle, on my mother’s side) was known to raise his fists to his wife and children.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
The inmate, identified as Joseph Altamirano, yelled at and then hit an officer with his fist, according to the CDCR.
—Jason Green, The Mercury News, 22 Mar. 2024
In the morning of the earth’s creation, 385 million years ago, before Príncipe's fist of rock punched up from the ocean floor, the fish walked out of the sea on its fins.
—Catherine Fairweather, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Mar. 2024
In this region of space—no larger than the area that would be covered by your fist, held at arm’s length—lie roughly 2,000 galaxies.
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Mar. 2024
David Waldstein, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2023
Move fists one inch forward while keeping back straight and not leaning torso forward or folding and waist.
—Women's Health, 18 Aug. 2023
How to: Start in a boxer's stance with left leg forward and right leg back, knees bent, fists protecting face.
Punch the left arm out and pull fist quickly back to face.
—Andi Breitowich, Women's Health, 9 Aug. 2023
At 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, where Floyd once pleaded with Chauvin to get off his neck and cried out for his mother, a metal Black Lives Matter fist the height of a streetlamp has been erected in the intersection, which is outlined by a flower garden.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2021
Then, once on the court, players are outlawed from high-fives, relegated instead to fist or elbow bumps.
—Scott Kushner, NOLA.com, 13 Jan. 2021
Players must limit interactions to fist and elbow bumps.
—Rod Walker, NOLA.com, 12 Jan. 2021
The government’s economic stimulus measures have been similarly ham-fisted.
—The Economist, 23 May 2020
Not even if your girlfriend is getting fisted on the regular or impaled by a dozen swarthy men brandishing wine bottles.
—Anna Pulley, chicagotribune.com, 14 Oct. 2019
Noun
Even a child understands that violence begets only more violence, that a slap to the face creates the conditions for a return slap, or a fist, or a bullet.
—Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 28 Mar. 2024
Norridge, Illinois police are searching for at least three Black men who were seen on video smashing through glass display cases of a mall jewelry store and stealing fists full of items.
—Greg Wehner, Fox News, 25 Mar. 2024
In the center of the room stands a 12-foot wooden fist erected by artist Jordan Powell-Karis in George Floyd Square.
—Daniel Gonzalez, The Arizona Republic, 19 Mar. 2024
Elmore also allegedly put the sergeant in a chokehold and beat him with his fists, per the documents cited in the newspaper.
—Emily Palmer, Peoplemag, 12 Mar. 2024
By the way, my cousin’s father (my uncle, on my mother’s side) was known to raise his fists to his wife and children.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 27 Mar. 2024
The inmate, identified as Joseph Altamirano, yelled at and then hit an officer with his fist, according to the CDCR.
—Jason Green, The Mercury News, 22 Mar. 2024
In the morning of the earth’s creation, 385 million years ago, before Príncipe's fist of rock punched up from the ocean floor, the fish walked out of the sea on its fins.
—Catherine Fairweather, Condé Nast Traveler, 20 Mar. 2024
In this region of space—no larger than the area that would be covered by your fist, held at arm’s length—lie roughly 2,000 galaxies.
—Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 Mar. 2024
Verb
But hockey fights almost always involve mutual, bone-crushing blows, fists jackhammering from powerful shoulders, sometimes fracturing bones, tearing tissue and rattling brains.
—David Waldstein, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2023
Move fists one inch forward while keeping back straight and not leaning torso forward or folding and waist.
—Women's Health, 18 Aug. 2023
How to: Start in a boxer's stance with left leg forward and right leg back, knees bent, fists protecting face.
Punch the left arm out and pull fist quickly back to face.
—Andi Breitowich, Women's Health, 9 Aug. 2023
At 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, where Floyd once pleaded with Chauvin to get off his neck and cried out for his mother, a metal Black Lives Matter fist the height of a streetlamp has been erected in the intersection, which is outlined by a flower garden.
—Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2021
Then, once on the court, players are outlawed from high-fives, relegated instead to fist or elbow bumps.
—Scott Kushner, NOLA.com, 13 Jan. 2021
Players must limit interactions to fist and elbow bumps.
—Rod Walker, NOLA.com, 12 Jan. 2021
The government’s economic stimulus measures have been similarly ham-fisted.
—The Economist, 23 May 2020
Not even if your girlfriend is getting fisted on the regular or impaled by a dozen swarthy men brandishing wine bottles.
—Anna Pulley, chicagotribune.com, 14 Oct. 2019
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fist.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Fist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fist. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
fist
noun
: the hand clenched with the fingers doubled into the palm and the thumb doubled inward across the fingers
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