fist

1 of 2

noun

ˈfist 

1

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

pounded on the door with both fists

2

: the hand closed as in grasping : clutch

held the coin in his fist

3

: index sense 5

fist

2 of 2

verb

fisted; fisting; fists

transitive verb

1

: to grip with the fist : handle

2

: to clench into a fist

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

Noun

Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff pumps his fist after the Sabres' 4-1 win over the Boston Bruins in Game 6 of their first-round series at TD Garden in Boston on Friday. —Andrew Greif, NBC news, 6 May 2026

An angry crowd rushed the motorcade, attacking with stones and fists and attempting to overturn the vehicle carrying Nixon. —USA Today, 6 May 2026

To see if the mixture is fast-draining enough, Haenni suggests taking a handful of the mixture in your hand and making a fist. —Rachel Gillett, Martha Stewart, 5 May 2026

And Shugart got to leave the mound pumping his fists en route to becoming the first major-league pitcher to win two games in a day since 2013. —Matt Gelb, New York Times, 1 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English fȳst; akin to Old High German fūst fist, Polish pięść, and probably to Old English fīf five

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

circa 1616, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing fist

• fist bump
• fist pump
• hand over fist
• mailed fist
• make a good fist of
• make a poor fist of
• rule with an iron fist/hand

Rhymes for fist

• cist
• cyst
• gist
• grist
• hissed
• kissed
• kist
• list
• missed
• mist
• schist
• tryst

Kids Definition

fist

noun

ˈfist

1

: the hand clenched with fingers doubled into the palm

2

: index entry 1 sense 4

Medical Definition

fist

noun

ˈfist 

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