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

Then, in the first quarter, Haliburton fell to the court just beyond the three, banging his fist and sobbing. —Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 20 Dec. 2025

Pumping his fist and scribbling notes Mangione stayed active throughout the hearing, taking notes, reading documents, conferring with his lawyers and occasionally looking back toward his two-dozen or so supporters in the courtroom gallery. —Michael R. Sisak, Fortune, 18 Dec. 2025

There isn’t a single beat here that hits with the same fist-pumping force of the Na’vi shooting giant arrows at the RDA forces in mid-air, or Payakan ripping the arm off one of the bad guys who’s come to attack the reef. —David Ehrlich, IndieWire, 16 Dec. 2025

As a game, the father sometimes practices this grip on his boys, bragging about the enormity of his fists. —Literary Hub, 15 Dec. 2025

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