fighter

noun

fight·​er ˈfī-tər How to pronounce fighter (audio)
: one that fights: such as
a(1)
(2)
: a pugnacious or game individual
b
: an airplane of high speed and maneuverability with armament designed to destroy enemy aircraft

Examples of fighter in a Sentence

the debate whether more fighters are needed to bring order to that war-torn country a program at the community center for training local youths as fighters
Recent Examples on the Web The Israeli military said today that its fighter jets have begun striking Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip, in the clearest sign yet that the war has resumed with full force after a weeklong truce. Wafaa Shurafa, arkansasonline.com, 1 Dec. 2023 Hospitals have been shelled, airstrikes have pummeled residential neighborhoods and ravenous fighters have raped, kidnapped and killed countless civilians. Katharine Houreld, Washington Post, 30 Nov. 2023 The idea is reminiscent of the U.S.-brokered deal that allowed Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and thousands of fighters to flee Beirut during Israel’s 1982 siege of the Lebanese capital. Dion Nissenbaum, WSJ, 30 Nov. 2023 Benjamin said many of the Hamas fighters are orphans due to Israeli attacks. Brady Knox, Washington Examiner, 30 Nov. 2023 While Russia reportedly delivered Iran millions of dollars in cash and purportedly captured Western weaponry Tehran could reverse-engineer, such as Javelin anti-tank missile, there was no sign of the fighters. Paul Iddon, Forbes, 28 Nov. 2023 That issue became more contentious after the United States agreed in 2020 to sell advanced F-35 fighter jets to the Emirates as an incentive to get the country to normalize ties with Israel. Edward Wong, New York Times, 27 Nov. 2023 South Korea has one of the most powerful conventional militaries in the world, exporting billions of dollars in tanks, missiles and fighter jets to countries all over — Poland, India, the United Arab Emirates. Max Kim, Los Angeles Times, 27 Nov. 2023 Then, in the early 1970s, American intelligence agencies and their allies detected a new aircraft in the Soviet arsenal: an enormous fighter, capable of flying miles above the earth, several times faster than sound. Clay Risen, New York Times, 18 Nov. 2023 See More

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

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fighter was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near fighter

Cite this Entry

“Fighter.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fighter. Accessed 9 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

fighter

noun
fight·​er ˈfīt-ər How to pronounce fighter (audio)
: one that fights:
c
: a fast airplane armed with weapons for destroying enemy aircraft

More from Merriam-Webster on fighter

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