fist

1 of 2

noun

ˈfist

Synonyms of fist next

: the hand clenched with the fingers doubled into the palm and the thumb doubled inward across the fingers

: the hand closed as in grasping : clutch

: index sense 5

fist

2 of 2

verb

fisted; fisting; fists

transitive verb

: to grip with the fist : handle

: to clench into a fist

Example Sentences

Noun He pounded his fist on the table in anger. She pounded on the door with both fists. He defiantly shook his fist at the policeman.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Then Stephen Milling, as the high priest Sarastro, saunters along a passerelle with a microphone in his fist, part smooth-sermonizing televangelist, part corporate boss. —

Vulture, 23 May 2023 The secret sauce of succeeding at statewide politics in West Virginia has always been in utilizing the two-handed method: With one hand, shake a fist at those no-good such and suches in Washington, D.C., who have done the good people of West Virginia so much wrong. —

Andrew Donaldson, Washington Examiner, 5 May 2023 The protective order filing said Oropesa allegedly hit her with a closed fist, kicked her on the floor, pounded her head onto the driveway gravel and threatened her. —

Antonio Planas, NBC News, 3 May 2023 While some people carried weapons for protection, Foreman’s weapons were his fists and his 6-foot-4-inch frame. —

James E. Causey, Journal Sentinel, 17 Apr. 2023 As the two players exchanged words, Gobert, 30, swung his fist at Anderson, 29, but fell short on the attempt. —

Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2023 An hour later, according to videos, people leaving the prayers staged a largescale protest on the limestone courtyard, with Palestinians raising their fists and shouting against Israel. —

Isabel Debre, BostonGlobe.com, 7 Apr. 2023 An hour later, according to videos, people leaving the prayers staged a vast protest on the limestone courtyard, with Palestinians raising their fists and shouting in support of Hamas rocket fire, and Israeli police forced their way into the compound. —

Isabel Debre, Chicago Tribune, 7 Apr. 2023 Sixx was seen fist pumping in the air with his strumming hand,while the bass part was playing. —

Christian Holub, EW.com, 6 Apr. 2023

Verb

At 38th Street and Chicago Avenue, where Floyd once pleaded with Chauvin to get off his neck and cried out for his mother, a metal Black Lives Matter fist the height of a streetlamp has been erected in the intersection, which is outlined by a flower garden. —

Los Angeles Times, 18 Apr. 2021 Then, once on the court, players are outlawed from high-fives, relegated instead to fist or elbow bumps. —

Scott Kushner, NOLA.com, 13 Jan. 2021 Players must limit interactions to fist and elbow bumps. —

Rod Walker, NOLA.com, 12 Jan. 2021 The government’s economic stimulus measures have been similarly ham-fisted. —

The Economist, 23 May 2020 Not even if your girlfriend is getting fisted on the regular or impaled by a dozen swarthy men brandishing wine bottles. —

Anna Pulley, chicagotribune.com, 14 Oct. 2019 The shah, Washington’s closest ally in the Persian Gulf, had fled Tehran in January 1979 in the face of a burgeoning uprising against his 38 years of iron-fisted rule. —

David D. Kirkpatrick, New York Times, 29 Dec. 2019 But the film is too clumsy and ham-fisted by half to bring much authenticity or wit to the measure of these women's experiences. —

Isaac Feldberg, Fortune, 13 Dec. 2019 Predictably, the script’s attempts to nail down these characterizations are almost uniformly ham-fisted, a flaw that appears to have occurred to no one who participated in its composition or filming. —

Graham Hillard, National Review, 7 Dec. 2019 See More

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