1
: the hand clenched with the fingers doubled into the palm and the thumb doubled inward across the fingers
2
: the hand closed as in grasping : clutch
3
fisted; fisting; fists
Examples of fist in a Sentence
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
Jon Hamilton, NPR, 30 June 2025
The crime-thriller centers on Babs Dionne, a proud Franco-American, doting grandmother, and vicious crime matriarch, who rules her small town of Waterville, Maine, with an iron fist.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 27 June 2025
What have prosecutors said about Diddy? Prosecutor Christy Slavik started to sum up the government’s case against Diddy just after 10 a.m., describing him as a ruthless lawbreaker who used an iron fist — and a network of eager underlings — to meet his every demand.
—Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 26 June 2025
Shahn was born in Lithuania in 1898, under the fist of Russian rule, and arrived at Ellis Island in 1906, with more than a hundred thousand other Jews from Eastern Europe.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fist
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Noun
In 2016, Copeland famously used a robotic arm to bump fists with President Barack Obama.
—Jon Hamilton, NPR, 30 June 2025
The crime-thriller centers on Babs Dionne, a proud Franco-American, doting grandmother, and vicious crime matriarch, who rules her small town of Waterville, Maine, with an iron fist.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 27 June 2025
What have prosecutors said about Diddy? Prosecutor Christy Slavik started to sum up the government’s case against Diddy just after 10 a.m., describing him as a ruthless lawbreaker who used an iron fist — and a network of eager underlings — to meet his every demand.
—Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 26 June 2025
Shahn was born in Lithuania in 1898, under the fist of Russian rule, and arrived at Ellis Island in 1906, with more than a hundred thousand other Jews from Eastern Europe.
—Zachary Fine, New Yorker, 24 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for fist
Cite this Entry
“Fist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fist. Accessed 8 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
fist
noun
: the hand clenched with the fingers doubled into the palm and the thumb doubled inward across the fingers
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share