fought
ˈfȯt 
; fighting
; fighting
1
a
: to contend in battle or physical combat
especially
: to strive to overcome a person by blows or weapons
The soldiers fought bravely.
b
: to engage in boxing
He will fight for the heavyweight title next month.
2
: to put forth a determined effort
They were fighting to stay awake.
1
a(1)
: to contend against in or as if in battle or physical combat
fought the invaders of his homeland
was fighting a forest fire
(2)
: to box against in the ring
fought several strong contenders
b(1)
: to attempt to prevent the success or effectiveness of
the company fought the takeover attempt
(2)
: to oppose the passage or development of
fight a bill in Congress
3
: to struggle to endure or surmount
fight a cold
is fighting cancer
4
a
: to gain by struggle
fights his way through
b
: to resolve by struggle
fought out their differences in court
5
a
: to manage (a ship) in a battle or storm
b
: to cause to struggle or contend
c
: to manage in an unnecessarily rough or awkward manner
Synonyms
Examples of fight in a Sentence
Verb
When he was young he was always fighting.
He fought like a tiger.
The U.S. and Germany fought in World Wars I and II.
They vowed to fight the invaders of their homeland.
The U.S. fought Germany in World Wars I and II.
He and his wife are always fighting over money.
We were fighting to protect our jobs.
Noun
A fight broke out in the bar.
When he was young he was always getting into fights.
He got into another fight with his wife about money.
a fight for the heavyweight title
Recent Examples on the Web
Tony Capaccio, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2024
In 2006, after Hezbollah fighters crossed the border, Israel and Hezbollah fought a vicious thirty-four-day war that left large parts of Lebanon in ruins.
—Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2024
The local chapter of the United Steelworkers Union, which had more than 600 members employed at the refinery, was fighting to get jobs back.
—Rachel Ramirez, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024
Iran and Israel have been fighting a shadow war for years, but on April 13, the conflict came into the open.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 14 Apr. 2024
An iconic photo that The Washington Post published of Monarch Novelties in 1968 — after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. sparked riots in D.C. that left parts of the city burning — shows the family who worked and lived in the building fighting to save it.
—Theresa Vargas, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2024
The attendees were fighting the war that Bradley had lost just a short distance away.
—Jordan Runtagh, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
The House took a critical first step on Friday toward reauthorizing a law extending an expiring warrantless surveillance law that national security officials say is crucial to fighting terrorism, voting to take it up two days after a previous attempt to pass it collapsed.
—Charlie Savage, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
The action movie icon, who first fought Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1984’s classic The Terminator and then teamed up with him in two follow-up films, sits down for an interview with The Hollywood Reporter wearing a beanie emblazoned with two words: Resident Alien.
—Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Over the course of history, from the 20th century’s feminist movement to 21st-century movements such as Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter, social movements have gained traction when allies joined the fight.
—Preeti Vani, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
With both Charly and Hassan now captive, Griselda decides to make the two fight to the death in hand-to-hand combat.
—Megan McCluskey, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
Video from the day showed fights involving people affiliated with the extremist group the Proud Boys and local white supremacist factions.
—Will Carless, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
His eventual succession has become a key sticking point in the proxy fight.
—Bruce Gil, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2024
The issue of succession is another key point of contention in the proxy fight.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 3 Apr. 2024
Disney had won enough of the shareholder votes cast for its 12 board candidates as of Tuesday evening to successfully defeat an aggressive, months-long proxy fight waged by Nelson Peltz‘s Trian Partners hedge fund, Reuters reported, citing anonymous sources.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, Peltz has received support in recent days from the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) and the private investment firm Neuberger Berman, dealing a blow to Disney’s efforts to stave off the board fight.
—Hadas Gold, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024
Verb
For decades, Israel and Iran have fought a shadow war, attacking each other mostly quietly and in Iran’s case often by proxy.
—Tony Capaccio, Fortune, 14 Apr. 2024
In 2006, after Hezbollah fighters crossed the border, Israel and Hezbollah fought a vicious thirty-four-day war that left large parts of Lebanon in ruins.
—Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, 14 Apr. 2024
The local chapter of the United Steelworkers Union, which had more than 600 members employed at the refinery, was fighting to get jobs back.
—Rachel Ramirez, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024
Iran and Israel have been fighting a shadow war for years, but on April 13, the conflict came into the open.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 14 Apr. 2024
An iconic photo that The Washington Post published of Monarch Novelties in 1968 — after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. sparked riots in D.C. that left parts of the city burning — shows the family who worked and lived in the building fighting to save it.
—Theresa Vargas, Washington Post, 13 Apr. 2024
The attendees were fighting the war that Bradley had lost just a short distance away.
—Jordan Runtagh, Peoplemag, 13 Apr. 2024
The House took a critical first step on Friday toward reauthorizing a law extending an expiring warrantless surveillance law that national security officials say is crucial to fighting terrorism, voting to take it up two days after a previous attempt to pass it collapsed.
—Charlie Savage, New York Times, 12 Apr. 2024
The action movie icon, who first fought Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1984’s classic The Terminator and then teamed up with him in two follow-up films, sits down for an interview with The Hollywood Reporter wearing a beanie emblazoned with two words: Resident Alien.
—Josh Wigler, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Apr. 2024
Noun
California ‘Path to 218 runs through California’: State races pivotal in fight to control the House
March 10, 2024
The candidates are vying to replace retiring Rep. Anna Eshoo of Menlo Park in a safely Democratic district that includes part of Santa Clara and San Mateo counties.
—Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Over the course of history, from the 20th century’s feminist movement to 21st-century movements such as Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter, social movements have gained traction when allies joined the fight.
—Preeti Vani, Fortune, 4 Apr. 2024
With both Charly and Hassan now captive, Griselda decides to make the two fight to the death in hand-to-hand combat.
—Megan McCluskey, TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
Video from the day showed fights involving people affiliated with the extremist group the Proud Boys and local white supremacist factions.
—Will Carless, USA TODAY, 3 Apr. 2024
His eventual succession has become a key sticking point in the proxy fight.
—Bruce Gil, Quartz, 3 Apr. 2024
The issue of succession is another key point of contention in the proxy fight.
—Max Zahn, ABC News, 3 Apr. 2024
Disney had won enough of the shareholder votes cast for its 12 board candidates as of Tuesday evening to successfully defeat an aggressive, months-long proxy fight waged by Nelson Peltz‘s Trian Partners hedge fund, Reuters reported, citing anonymous sources.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 3 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, Peltz has received support in recent days from the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) and the private investment firm Neuberger Berman, dealing a blow to Disney’s efforts to stave off the board fight.
—Hadas Gold, CNN, 2 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fight.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near fight
Cite this Entry
“Fight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fight. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fight
1 of 2 verb
fought
ˈfȯt
; fighting
; fighting
1
a
: to struggle against another in battle or physical combat
2
: to try hard
fighting to stay awake
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