1
as in combating
to oppose (someone) in physical conflict
a proud people who have fiercely fought all invaders of their homeland
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in opposing
to strive to reduce or eliminate
a civil rights leader who dedicated his life to fighting prejudice
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in competing
to engage in a contest
everyone on that street seems to be fighting to see who can create the gaudiest holiday lighting display
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in bickering
to express different opinions about something often angrily
if you kids continue to fight, I'm turning this car around and we're heading back home!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in resisting
to refuse to give in to
I tried to fight the temptation to eat another cookie—and lost
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in battling
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
as in combat
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of fighting
Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2023
But the computer model couldn’t distinguish fighting roosters from non-fighting roosters.
—Jeff Horwitz, WSJ, 17 Oct. 2021
Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 3 Oct. 2025
Money was flowing in, as the US and its allies attempted to rebuild civil society destroyed by the Taliban’s brutal rule from 1996 to 2001, even as fighting and insecurity still plagued swathes of the nation.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
Hamas fighters who renounce fighting and wish to remain in Gaza will be granted amnesty, while others can take advantage of safe passage to third countries.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 3 Oct. 2025
The fighting has displaced roughly 90% of Gaza’s population, many more than once, and left large parts of the territory uninhabitable.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
What unites these subscribers to America’s growing warrior culture is not their personal relationship to fighting but rather their perspective on what role the warrior, with the wisdom afforded by his abilities, should play in society.
—Dan Brooks, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2025
The pair’s fight is fueled by the mundane (a busted dinner party) and the profound (Mark’s addiction, Dawn’s codependence, the constant pressure of professional fighting).
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 1 Oct. 2025
After eight seasons of loving, fighting, and living on the South Side of Chicago, The Chi is finally coming to an end.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2025
In a rare dramatic performance, Johnson plays wrestler Mark Kerr, a champion in the early days of MMA fighting who made a career comeback after battling substance abuse.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 30 Sep. 2025
Laura L. Davis, Nashville Tennessean, 6 Oct. 2025
The event, launched in 1982, celebrates the freedom to read and express ideas and emphasizes the importance of fighting censorship.
—Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 5 Oct. 2025
Some have gone so far as to speculate that Alwyn was ghostwriting Swift’s songs all along, which is especially devastating, given how much time Swift has spent fighting not only to be recognized as a songwriter but to claim ownership of her own work.
—Tyler Foggatt, New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2025
Who out there isn't fighting something?
—Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 5 Oct. 2025
McAlister caught four passes for 65 yards with two touchdowns, the fourth multi-touchdown game of his career and his second in the past three games, while fighting through an injury that left him questionable earlier in the week.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Oct. 2025
Back in the 1920s, even the Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin called on his British supporters to affiliate with the Labour Party instead of fighting it.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2025
Why didn’t this superstar’s movie about one of the fighting org’s best, Mark Kerr, transcend?
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 4 Oct. 2025
Set in a post-apocalyptic world, ARC Raiders tasks you with scavenging the Earth's dangerous surface for resources while fighting hostile robots and rival human players.
—Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 4 Oct. 2025
Verb
Some had joined Ukrainian combat units as volunteers, while others have sought to assist the Ukrainian people in non-fighting capacities.
—Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2023
But the computer model couldn’t distinguish fighting roosters from non-fighting roosters.
—Jeff Horwitz, WSJ, 17 Oct. 2021
Adjective
Browne was born just a year before his father began his professional fighting career, which lasted until 2017, ending with an 18-7-1 record.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 3 Oct. 2025
Money was flowing in, as the US and its allies attempted to rebuild civil society destroyed by the Taliban’s brutal rule from 1996 to 2001, even as fighting and insecurity still plagued swathes of the nation.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
Hamas fighters who renounce fighting and wish to remain in Gaza will be granted amnesty, while others can take advantage of safe passage to third countries.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 3 Oct. 2025
The fighting has displaced roughly 90% of Gaza’s population, many more than once, and left large parts of the territory uninhabitable.
—Jesus Mesa, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
What unites these subscribers to America’s growing warrior culture is not their personal relationship to fighting but rather their perspective on what role the warrior, with the wisdom afforded by his abilities, should play in society.
—Dan Brooks, The Atlantic, 2 Oct. 2025
The pair’s fight is fueled by the mundane (a busted dinner party) and the profound (Mark’s addiction, Dawn’s codependence, the constant pressure of professional fighting).
—Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 1 Oct. 2025
After eight seasons of loving, fighting, and living on the South Side of Chicago, The Chi is finally coming to an end.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Oct. 2025
In a rare dramatic performance, Johnson plays wrestler Mark Kerr, a champion in the early days of MMA fighting who made a career comeback after battling substance abuse.
—Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 30 Sep. 2025
Noun
Meet Nashville's new crime-fighting Clydesdale Metro Nashville mounted patrol officer Michael Douglas squeezed a three-foot-long rubber chicken, producing an increasingly louder and closer screeching sound to try and provoke a 1,700-pound Clydesdale named Ross.
—Laura L. Davis, Nashville Tennessean, 6 Oct. 2025
The event, launched in 1982, celebrates the freedom to read and express ideas and emphasizes the importance of fighting censorship.
—Jennifer Borresen, USA Today, 5 Oct. 2025
Some have gone so far as to speculate that Alwyn was ghostwriting Swift’s songs all along, which is especially devastating, given how much time Swift has spent fighting not only to be recognized as a songwriter but to claim ownership of her own work.
—Tyler Foggatt, New Yorker, 5 Oct. 2025
Who out there isn't fighting something?
—Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 5 Oct. 2025
McAlister caught four passes for 65 yards with two touchdowns, the fourth multi-touchdown game of his career and his second in the past three games, while fighting through an injury that left him questionable earlier in the week.
—Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Oct. 2025
Back in the 1920s, even the Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin called on his British supporters to affiliate with the Labour Party instead of fighting it.
—Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 4 Oct. 2025
Why didn’t this superstar’s movie about one of the fighting org’s best, Mark Kerr, transcend?
—Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 4 Oct. 2025
Set in a post-apocalyptic world, ARC Raiders tasks you with scavenging the Earth's dangerous surface for resources while fighting hostile robots and rival human players.
—Gabriel Zamora, PC Magazine, 4 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fighting
Verb
-
Get a few friends together and form your own version of girl group HUNTR/X and spend your Halloween battling supernatural forces while maintaining your pop stardom.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
4 Oct. 2025
-
San Rafael, California — Whether battling a wildfire, chasing a suspect, or helping someone with a traumatic injury – the firefighters, police officers, paramedics, and others who take action in emergencies regularly endure high levels of stress.—
Kathleen Toner,
CNN Money,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
More and more coaches are willing to chip pucks behind the defense and let their players chase it, using speed and tenacity to apply pressure and win possession back deep in opposing territory.—
Vincent Z. Mercogliano,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
-
But lawyers opposing the government in at least two of the cases opposed the requests.—
Joey Garrison,
USA Today,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The senator did not respond to a request for comment about the competing legislation put forth by his fellow Democrats.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
7 Oct. 2025
-
If the animals are not competing in shows, they are sold for meat.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Jennifer Aniston’s Alex Levy, Reese Witherspoon’s Bradley Jackson, and the other members of The Morning Show’s newsroom and its network are once again bickering and backstabbing.—
Emma Alpern,
Vulture,
11 Sep. 2025
-
Coaches are also bickering about money, a topic that would have felt out of place 10 years ago.—
Eben Novy-Williams,
Sportico.com,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Yoni Mendez-Lopez, 29, a Mexican national, was taken into custody with a record that includes resisting an officer, battery on a law enforcement officer, assault on a law enforcement officer, driving without a valid license, and attempting to flee to elude law enforcement, according to ICE.—
Billal Rahman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Wood explained that speaking out on her feelings about the sketch was about resisting the instinct to shrink herself.—
Tomás Mier,
Rolling Stone,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
His website features photos of him in military uniform, and his campaign logo features a silhouetted Chinook combat helicopter.—
Vivian Jones,
Nashville Tennessean,
3 Oct. 2025
-
Its tank and artillery strength remains unmatched, and its military has extensive combat experience.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
2 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Yet Harris discovered that being a good soldier doesn’t necessarily help when the vice president is contending for the highest elective office in the land.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
3 Oct. 2025
-
As the New York Knicks gear up for what could be a title-contending season in 2025-26, the head coach that led them to their most success this century was spotted several time zones away.—
Alex Kirschenbaum,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
For decades, DeLodder said, hospitals have quelled the establishment of freestanding birthing centers by arguing against their necessity.—
Killian Baarlaer,
Louisville Courier Journal,
3 Oct. 2025
-
The budget director wrote the project’s chapter on the Executive Office of the President, arguing that the bureaucracy is riddled with inefficiencies and corruption.—
Emily Hallas,
The Washington Examiner,
2 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Fighting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fighting. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.
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