fighter

noun

fight·​er ˈfī-tər 

: one that fights: such as

a(1)

: warrior, soldier

(2)

: a pugnacious or game individual

(3)

: boxer entry 1 sense 1

b

: an airplane of high speed and maneuverability with armament designed to destroy enemy aircraft

Synonyms

• dogface
• legionary
• legionnaire
• man-at-arms
• regular
• serviceman
• soldier
• trooper
• warrior

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 two fought on competing networks (Stevenson only wanted to fight on Showtime; Kovalev was an HBO fighter), and no deal could ever be made. —Josh Katzowitz, Forbes.com, 29 Apr. 2025

As public anger over the clip grew, fighters in armored vehicles amassed overnight outside Jaramana and began shelling the city, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitoring group based in Britain. —Euan Ward, New York Times, 29 Apr. 2025

Read more Ukraine Su-27 fighter jet crashes Videos show Delta plane catch on fire on Florida tarmac How many US plane crashes have there been in 2025? —Mohammed Soliman, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Apr. 2025

The fighter was an F/A-18 Hornet flying off the Truman. —Thao Nguyen, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing fighter

• fighter-bomber
• freedom fighter
• street fighter

Rhymes for fighter

• biter
• brighter
• lighter
• miter
• niter
• reiter
• righter
• slighter
• tighter
• titer
• titre
• whiter

Kids Definition

fighter

noun

fight·​er ˈfīt-ər 

: one that fights:

a

: warrior, soldier

b

: boxer entry 1

c

: a fast airplane armed with weapons for destroying enemy aircraft