fight

1 of 2

verb

fought ˈfȯt How to pronounce fight (audio) ; fighting

intransitive verb

1
a
: to contend in battle or physical combat
especially : to strive to overcome a person by blows or weapons
The soldiers fought bravely.
b
: to engage in boxing
He will fight for the heavyweight title next month.
2
: to put forth a determined effort
They were fighting to stay awake.

transitive verb

1
a(1)
: to contend against in or as if in battle or physical combat
fought the invaders of his homeland
was fighting a forest fire
(2)
: to box against in the ring
fought several strong contenders
b(1)
: to attempt to prevent the success or effectiveness of
the company fought the takeover attempt
(2)
: to oppose the passage or development of
fight a bill in Congress
2
a
: wage, carry on
fight a battle
b
: to take part in (a boxing match or similar contest)
3
: to struggle to endure or surmount
fight a cold
is fighting cancer
4
a
: to gain by struggle
fights his way through
b
: to resolve by struggle
fought out their differences in court
5
a
: to manage (a ship) in a battle or storm
b
: to cause to struggle or contend
c
: to manage in an unnecessarily rough or awkward manner

fight

2 of 2

noun

1
a
: a hostile encounter : battle, combat
b
: a boxing match
c
: a verbal disagreement : argument
2
: a struggle for a goal or an objective
a fight for justice
3
: strength or disposition for fighting : pugnacity
still full of fight
Phrases
fight shy of
: to avoid facing or meeting

Examples of fight in a Sentence

Verb When he was young he was always fighting. He fought like a tiger. The U.S. and Germany fought in World Wars I and II. They vowed to fight the invaders of their homeland. The U.S. fought Germany in World Wars I and II. He and his wife are always fighting over money. We were fighting to protect our jobs. Noun A fight broke out in the bar. When he was young he was always getting into fights. He got into another fight with his wife about money. a fight for the heavyweight title
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Nate Diaz stepped in to save the UFC 196 main event and defeated McGregor via second-round submission in a fight fought at welterweight. Brian Mazique, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024 Both countries previously denied South Korea’s assertions about North Korean troops being prepared for fighting in Ukraine. Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2024
Noun
Another huge element was the stunt team, who have helped execute fights between superhuman creatures and quite a bit of flying via wirework (one thing the actors won’t miss much). Proma Khosla, IndieWire, 24 Oct. 2024 The crypto industry is pouring money into the fight to control Congress, and the Massachusetts race just isn't enough of a factor to become a good investment. Mike Deehan, Axios, 24 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for fight 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fight.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb and Noun

Middle English, from Old English feohtan; akin to Old High German fehtan to fight and perhaps to Latin pectere to comb — more at pectinate

First Known Use

Verb

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1a

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of fight was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near fight

Cite this Entry

“Fight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fight. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

fight

1 of 2 verb
fought ˈfȯt How to pronounce fight (audio) ; fighting
1
a
: to struggle against another in battle or physical combat
2
: to try hard
fighting to stay awake
3
a
: to act for or against : struggle, contend
fight for the right
fight a fire
fight discrimination
b
: to attempt to prevent the success or effectiveness of
fight off a cold

fight

2 of 2 noun
1
a
: a violent struggle between opposing forces : combat, battle
b
: a boxing match
c
: a verbal disagreement
2
: a struggle for a goal or an objective
in a fight for their lives
3
: strength or disposition for fighting
full of fight

More from Merriam-Webster on fight

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