dogfight

noun

dog·​fight ˈdȯg-ˌfīt 

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

dogfighter

ˈdȯg-ˌfī-tər 

noun

Synonyms

• ball game
• battle
• combat
• competition
• conflict
• confrontation
• contention
• contest
• duel
• face-off
• grapple
• match
• rivalry
• strife
• struggle
• sweepstakes
• sweep-stake
• tug-of-war
• war
• warfare

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 Knicks passed that test in Game 1 with a dominant fourth quarter that turned a dogfight into a runaway. —Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 20 Apr. 2025

What follows is something resembling a helicopter dogfight in which multiple Army choppers chase Tommy and company through the LA sky. —Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 18 Apr. 2025

Making the Signal chat a political dogfight is preventing White House officials from getting on top of the more pressing issue of how to use more secure communications, according to one cyber security expert. —Christopher White, Baltimore Sun, 28 Mar. 2025

And in an aerial dogfight, the Hurricane could maneuver toe-to-toe with the German’s Messerschimidt Bf 109. —Kiona N. Smith, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1656, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for dogfight

• affright
• airtight
• albite
• alight
• alright
• aplite
• aright
• bainite
• birthright
• bobwhite
• bornite
• bullfight

Kids Definition

dogfight

noun

dog·​fight -ˌfīt 

: a fight at close range between fighter planes

dogfight verb

dogfighter

-ˌfīt-ər 

noun