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

Past dressers like Angela Kelly also ruled over visuals with an iron fist. —Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 12 Apr. 2026

Ernie caught the fist in his big right hand, then grabbed X’s forearm and bent the wrist up, forcing X to the ground. —Ron Mix, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2026

Another work from this era, Veterans Day (2016), features a flow of musical notes that surround a framed newspaper article about the conviction of Muhammad Ali for refusing to fight in the American war in Vietnam and an old photograph of soldiers raising their fists. —Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 11 Apr. 2026

That report, published nearly 1 1/2 years after the Artemis I landing, also revealed images for the first time that showed the extent of the damage, including fist-sized chunks of the layer carved away. —Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Apr. 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