1
as in battled
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 opposed
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 competed
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 bickered
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 resisted
to refuse to give in to
I tried to fight the temptation to eat another cookie—and lost
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of fought
Firefighters fought the fire both inside and outside the house, and additional firefighters went inside to search for people.
—
Staff Report, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2026
And neither do the AI-skeptics who fought the hardest for it.
—Julie Samuels, New York Daily News, 11 Jan. 2026
Save the Dunes previously fought a similar legal fight in Long Beach, setting a precedent and inspiring a state law that locks in where the high water mark is calculated to indicate the boundary between private and public land.
—Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 2026
They are ferociously contested and closely fought.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 10 Jan. 2026
Luke Haught fought his way to 11 points.
—Erick Taylor, Arkansas Online, 9 Jan. 2026
Decades earlier, when the jail was being proposed, our community fought against it.
—Dorothy Jenkins Fields, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
Law enforcement said members of the War Dogs and Pagans fought at Forty Bar and Grille with clubs, knives and gunshots fired into the air in the parking lot.
—Ross Guidotti, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
About three-quarters of the workers there remain, according to the data, but since last February many of them have been told to halt their job functions, and the administration has fought in court to stop funding the agency altogether.
—Emily Badger, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Staff Report, Twin Cities, 11 Jan. 2026
And neither do the AI-skeptics who fought the hardest for it.
—Julie Samuels, New York Daily News, 11 Jan. 2026
Save the Dunes previously fought a similar legal fight in Long Beach, setting a precedent and inspiring a state law that locks in where the high water mark is calculated to indicate the boundary between private and public land.
—Doug Ross, Chicago Tribune, 10 Jan. 2026
They are ferociously contested and closely fought.
—Kevin Rennie, Hartford Courant, 10 Jan. 2026
Luke Haught fought his way to 11 points.
—Erick Taylor, Arkansas Online, 9 Jan. 2026
Decades earlier, when the jail was being proposed, our community fought against it.
—Dorothy Jenkins Fields, Miami Herald, 9 Jan. 2026
Law enforcement said members of the War Dogs and Pagans fought at Forty Bar and Grille with clubs, knives and gunshots fired into the air in the parking lot.
—Ross Guidotti, CBS News, 9 Jan. 2026
About three-quarters of the workers there remain, according to the data, but since last February many of them have been told to halt their job functions, and the administration has fought in court to stop funding the agency altogether.
—Emily Badger, New York Times, 9 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fought
Verb
-
Kallie Skidmore scored 28 points as Izard County (10-5) battled back from a 14-point deficit to advance to the semifinals of the Kell Classic in Swifton.—
Erick Taylor,
Arkansas Online,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Mike, played by a rangy, companionable Hugh Jackman, is a striving singer in Milwaukee who has battled the bottle, cannot consistently pay his mortgage, and keeps himself going by appearing at the state fair dressed up to look (and sound) like Don Ho.—
Peter Tonguette,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Her plan for the prison was opposed by Stubblefield and all five Republican candidates now vying to fill the seat.—
Ella McCarthy,
Arkansas Online,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Deployment comes as Walz drops reelection bid The mobilization of more agents to Minneapolis comes as Walz, a Democrat who has been staunchly opposed to Trump’s deployment of troops to US cities, dropped out of the race for reelection on Monday.—
Danya Gainor,
CNN Money,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Of the eight entrants into the contest, four had competed in it before.—
Daniel McFadin,
Arkansas Online,
10 Nov. 2025
-
The elder Sisniega competed in modern pentathlon and was a flag bearer at the 1984 Olympics held in Los Angeles.—
Ryan Finley,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
8 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
On 33 occasions since 2017, Congress has been forced to pass emergency extensions to the flood insurance program, as lawmakers bickered over budgets and looming shutdowns threatened to disrupt it, according to a letter the National Association of Realtors sent to Congress ahead of the shutdown.—
Rukmini Callimachi,
New York Times,
9 Oct. 2025
-
In recent years, the companies have bickered about the rise of streaming services, in which the media companies are investing billions of dollars and which lure away cable and satellite customers.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Other districts have considered offering virtual options This fall, Chicago school board members called for a remote option during a federal intervention there, but Chicago Public Schools has resisted offering it.—
Rebecca Santana,
Fortune,
10 Jan. 2026
-
Tompkins, who for years resisted calls to step down, faced no shortage of accusations during his time in public office.—
Jessica Schladebeck,
New York Daily News,
9 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Pureval countered that the city leadership combatted crime through numerous measures, including implementing a stricter curfew and recruiting more officers.—
Scott Wartman,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
4 Nov. 2025
-
The amendment also restores $100,000 for the Right to Counsel program, which has combatted homelessness by providing legal assistance to more than 10,000 families facing eviction.—
Claudia Levens,
jsonline.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Kirton, Schulman and Hurston contended that the charter requires a separate referendum for an expense so large.—
Don Stacom,
Hartford Courant,
7 Jan. 2026
-
All of Bed Bath & Beyond’s complaints have contended that the carriers compounded the retailer’s operational and financial distress throughout the pandemic as shelves went empty and costs soared, ultimately leading to the company’s demise.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But the department has argued the sheer volume of documents that need to be found, uploaded, reviewed, redacted and published has forced it to instead release the files online on a rolling basis, with a series of enormous document dumps over the course of several days in mid-December.—
Joe Walsh,
CBS News,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Skelton argued that the city’s code lays out a specific process for declaring an animal as dangerous, which often entails a day in municipal court.—
Taylor O'Connor,
Kansas City Star,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fought.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fought. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share