fistfight

noun

fist·​fight ˈfist-ˌfīt How to pronounce fistfight (audio)
: a usually spontaneous fight with bare fists

Example Sentences

A fistfight broke out in the stands. He often gets into fistfights.
Recent Examples on the Web According to police, two 16-year-old students went into a classroom to confront the 15-year-old suspect, and the three students soon began engaging in a fistfight. Annie Vainshtein, San Francisco Chronicle, 6 Mar. 2023 After a Missouri school board approved a masking mandate, a fistfight broke out. Alisa Bowman, Discover Magazine, 3 Mar. 2023 Flo recently chatted with Vulture about the new record, growing up in the church, defying expectations, and memories of her last fistfight — which catapulted her into a sprawling story of a young Flo beating the brakes off a high-school nemesis. Vulture, 4 Aug. 2022 The scene devolves into a fistfight, with Torres and Sawyer ending up flat on the ground, battered but thrilled to be alive. Sara Netzley, EW.com, 24 Jan. 2023 As Scherzer reached the dugout, a fistfight nearly broke out in the first deck above the third-base line — between Mets fans. Bryce Millercolumnist, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Oct. 2022 There’s something that the strategy and development team at AppFolio should know about their boss: His New Year’s resolution is to get into a fistfight. Callum Borchers, WSJ, 29 Dec. 2022 Mall video surveillance showed the altercation between the two groups — estimated as five to nine people — erupt into a fistfight before one person pulled out a gun and opened fire, the chief said. Abbie Parr And Stefanie Dazio, Chicago Tribune, 24 Dec. 2022 Mall video surveillance showed the altercation between the two groups — estimated as five to nine people — erupt into a fistfight before one person pulled out a gun and opened fire, the chief said. Stefanie Dazio, Fortune, 24 Dec. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fistfight.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1603, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of fistfight was in 1603

Dictionary Entries Near fistfight

Cite this Entry

“Fistfight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fistfight. Accessed 26 Mar. 2023.

More from Merriam-Webster on fistfight

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!


Which Came First?

  • baby chick with a brown egg
  • hot take or cold shoulder?
How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can with using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.

Can you make 12 words with 7 letters?

PLAY