fight
UK /faɪt/ · US /fəɪt/ verb, noun
Forms fights fighting fought fit foughten fightest foughtest fighteth
- verb (transitive) To engage in combat with; to oppose physically, to contest with. “My grandfather fought the Nazis in World War II.”
- verb (transitive) To conduct or engage in (battle, warfare, a cause, etc.). “Our soldiers fought the battle just over that hill.”
- verb (intransitive) To contend in physical conflict, either singly or in war, battle, etc. “A wounded animal will fight tooth and nail; relentless, savage and murderous.”
- verb (reciprocal) To contend in physical conflict with each other, either singly or in war, battle, etc. “The two boxers have been fighting for more than half an hour.”
- verb (causative) To cause to fight; to manage or manoeuvre in a fight. “to fight cocks; to fight one’s ship”
- verb (intransitive) To strive for something; to campaign or contend for success. “He fought for the Democrats in the last election.”
- verb (transitive) To try to overpower; to fiercely counteract. “The government pledged to fight corruption.”
- verb (intransitive) Of colours or other design elements: to clash; to fail to harmonize.
- noun An occasion of fighting. “One of them got stuck in a chokehold and got stabbed to death during the fight.”
- noun (archaic) A battle between opposing armies.
- noun A physical confrontation or combat between two or more people or groups. “Watch your language! Are you looking for a fight?”
- noun (sports) A boxing or martial arts match. “I’m going to Nick’s to watch the big fight tomorrow night.”
- noun A conflict, possibly nonphysical, with opposing ideas or forces; strife. “I’ll put up a fight to save this company.”
- noun (uncountable) The will or ability to fight. “That little guy has a bit of fight in him after all. As soon as he saw the size of his opponent, all the fight went out of him.”
- noun (obsolete) A screen for the combatants in ships; an arming.
Synonyms
affray dust-up fracas kerfuffle rixation ruckus set to set-to stoush battle conflict engagement fighting combat scrap competitiveness contend struggle oppose fight back fight down defend crusade press campaign push agitate
Etymology
From Middle English fighten (“to fight”), from Old English feohtan (“to fight, combat, strive”), from Proto-West Germanic *fehtan (“to fight”), from Proto-Germanic *fehtaną (“to comb, tease, shear, struggle with”), from Proto-Indo-European *peḱ- (“to comb, shear”).
Cognate with Scots fecht (“to fight”), West Frisian fjochtsje, fjuchte (“to fight”), Dutch vechten (“to fight”), Low German fechten (“to fight”), German fechten (“to fence”), Danish fægte (“to fence, to fight (using blade weapons)”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk fekte (“to fence”), Swedish fäkta (“to fence, to fight (using blade weapons), to wave vigorously (and carelessly) with one's arms”), Latin pectō (“comb, thrash”, verb), Albanian pjek (“to hit, strive, fight”), Ancient Greek πέκω (pékō, “comb or card wool”, verb). Related also to Old English feht (“wool, shaggy pelt, fleece”).
From Middle English fight, feyght, fiȝt, fecht, from Old English feoht, ġefeoht (“fight”), from Proto-West Germanic *fehtan (“to fight”), from Proto-Germanic *fehtą, *gafehtą (“fight, struggle”), from Proto-Germanic *fehtaną (“to struggle with”). Cognate with Dutch gevecht (“fight”), German Gefecht (“fight”).
Webster’s 1913
- verb To strive or contened for victory, with armies or in single combat; to attempt to defeat, subdue, or destroy an enemy, either by blows or weapons; to contend in arms; --followed by with or against.
- verb To act in opposition to anything; to struggle against; to contend; to strive; to make resistance. To fight shy, to avoid meeting fairly or at close quarters; to keep out of reach.
- verb To carry on, or wage, as a conflict, or battle; to win or gain by struggle, as one's way; to sustain by fighting, as a cause.
- verb To contend with in battle; to war against; as, they fought the enemy in two pitched battles; the sloop fought the frigate for three hours.
Etymology [OE. fihten, fehten, AS. feohtan; akin to D. vechten, OHG. fehtan, G. fechten, Sw. fäkta, Dan. fegte, and perh. to E. fist; cf. L. pugnare to fight, pugnus fist.]
Etymology [OE. fight, feht, AS. feoht. See Fight, v. i.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “fight”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details