What does "fight" mean?
An occasion of fighting.
Fight
/faɪt/ noun, verb
noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: An occasion of fighting.
- Grammar: fight is listed as noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: battle, combat, conflict, a outrance.
- Useful contrasts: united stance unchanged, acquiescence, agree.
- Usage evidence: Two dogs fight for a bone, and the third runs away with it.
How to use "fight"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "fight" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "fight" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "fight" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "fight" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "fight" is acting as noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "battle" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "fight", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 An occasion of fighting. countable, uncountable
"One of them got stuck in a chokehold and got stabbed to death during the fight."
- 2 a boxing or wrestling match wordnet
- 3 A battle between opposing armies. archaic, countable, uncountable
- 4 a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war wordnet
- 5 A physical confrontation or combat between two or more people or groups. countable, uncountable
"Watch your language! Are you looking for a fight?"
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 the act of fighting; any contest or struggle wordnet
- 7 A boxing or martial arts match. countable, uncountable
"I’m going to Nick’s to watch the big fight tomorrow night."
- 8 an aggressive willingness to compete wordnet
- 9 A conflict, possibly nonphysical, with opposing ideas or forces; strife. countable, uncountable
"I’ll put up a fight to save this company."
- 10 an intense verbal dispute wordnet
- 11 The will or ability to fight. uncountable
"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."
- 12 A screen for the combatants in ships; an arming. countable, obsolete, uncountable
"Who ever ſaw a noble ſight, / That never view'd a brave Sea Fight: / Hang up your bloody Colours in the Aire, / Up with your Fights, and your Nettings prepare, / Your Merry Mates chear, with a luſty bold ſpright, / Now each Man his brindice, and then to the Fight, […]"
Verb
- 1 Senses relating to physical conflict:; To engage in combat with; to oppose physically, to contest with. transitive
"My grandfather fought the Nazis in World War II."
- 2 be engaged in a fight; carry on a fight wordnet
- 3 Senses relating to physical conflict:; To conduct or engage in (battle, warfare, a cause, etc.). transitive
"Our soldiers fought the battle just over that hill."
- 4 fight against or resist strongly wordnet
- 5 Senses relating to physical conflict:; To contend in physical conflict, either singly or in war, battle etc. intransitive
"A wounded animal will fight tooth and nail; relentless, savage and murderous."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 make a strenuous or labored effort wordnet
- 7 Senses relating to physical conflict:; To contend in physical conflict with each other, either singly or in war, battle etc. reciprocal
"The two boxers have been fighting for more than half an hour."
- 8 exert oneself continuously, vigorously, or obtrusively to gain an end or engage in a crusade for a certain cause or person; be an advocate for wordnet
- 9 Senses relating to physical conflict:; To cause to fight; to manage or manoeuvre in a fight. causative
"And so we made their grave where they should lie Close side by side, as they had fought their tank Through every fight, arm touching arm. We made it deep, that nothing of the conflict they had left above Should break into their peace."
- 10 To strive for something; to campaign or contend for success. intransitive
"He fought for the Democrats in the last election."
- 11 To try to overpower; to fiercely counteract. transitive
"The government pledged to fight corruption."
- 12 Of colours or other design elements: to clash; to fail to harmonize. intransitive
"The higher the saturation, the more the colors fight, and the more users will be looking at your design instead of your content."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"Two dogs fight for a bone, and the third runs away with it."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "fight"?
Common synonyms include: battle, combat, conflict, a outrance, action, aerial combat.
How do you use "fight" in a sentence?
Two dogs fight for a bone, and the third runs away with it.
How do you pronounce "fight"?
Pronounced /faɪt/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
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 fight, fence”), Danish fægte (“to fence, to fight (using blade weapons)”), Norwegian 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”).
Etymology 2
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”).