dogfight

noun

dog·fight | \ ˈdȯg-ˌfīt

How to pronounce dogfight (audio)

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Definition of dogfight

1 : a fight between dogs broadly : a fiercely disputed contest

2 : a fight between two or more fighter planes usually at close quarters

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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 The Texas Longhorns arrived at WVU Coliseum the morning of Jan. 9 prepared for a dogfight with West Virginia. — Nick Moyle, San Antonio Express-News, "Texas hasn't been the same since its trip to West Virginia," 8 Feb. 2021 The Bears entered the contest as the nine-point favorite but found themselves in a first-half dogfight, trailing at halftime for just the second time this season. — Destine Gibson, Dallas News, "No. 2 Baylor comes alive in the second half to outlast Oklahoma State," 23 Jan. 2021 Alabama coach Nate Oats expected a dogfight Saturday from Auburn, and that is exactly what his team got. — Mike Rodak | Mrodak@al.com, al, "Alabama pulls away late to beat Auburn, 94-90, and move to 4-0 in SEC," 9 Jan. 2021 Check out the scene in Top Gun where Maverick turns to head home after a dogfight. — Sarah Fallon, Wired, "The Secret History of the First Microprocessor, the F-14, and Me," 23 Dec. 2020 While these contracts involve hardware and tests planned for next year, another Pentagon department has already been exploring how software can perform in a dogfight. — Rob Verger, Popular Science, "An AI just copiloted a U-2 spyplane for the very first time," 16 Dec. 2020 Yeager may be in a dogfight with Father Time, but his bearing is still ramrod straight. — Marco Della Cava, USA TODAY, "Aviator Chuck Yeager met with USA TODAY as a feisty legend in 2012," 9 Dec. 2020 Four years ago, Trump erased Clinton’s significant leads in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin in the final 10 days of the campaign and won a dogfight in Florida to score a sizable Electoral College victory. — David M. Drucker, Washington Examiner, "Democrats 'scarred' by 2016 election fear a late Trump surge," 21 Oct. 2020 Wheeler barely missed winning the election outright in May and then faced an unexpected dogfight throughout the fall. — oregonlive, "Which Portland neighborhoods voted for Mayor Ted Wheeler and challenger Sarah Iannarone: interactive map," 5 Nov. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'dogfight.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

19 Feb 2021

Cite this Entry

“Dogfight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dogfight. Accessed 25 Feb. 2021.

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More Definitions for dogfight

dogfight

noun

English Language Learners Definition of dogfight

: a fight between dogs

: a fight between fighter planes that are flying close to each other

: a fierce fight or struggle between people or groups

See the full definition for dogfight in the English Language Learners Dictionary

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