What does "fist" mean?
A hand with the fingers clenched or curled inward.
Fist
/fɪst/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A hand with the fingers clenched or curled inward.
- Grammar: fist is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: arrow, autography, blaze, bunch of fives.
- Useful contrasts: open, open hand, relaxed hand.
- Usage evidence: The stockholders are making money hand over fist.
How to use "fist"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "fist" 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 "fist" 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 "fist" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "fist" 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 "fist" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang 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 "arrow" 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 "fist", 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 A hand with the fingers clenched or curled inward.
"The boxer's fists rained down on his opponent in the last round."
- 2 The act of breaking wind; fise.
- 3 a hand with the fingers clenched in the palm (as for hitting) wordnet
- 4 Synonym of manicule.
- 5 A puffball.
Show 5 more definitions
- 6 The characteristic signaling rhythm of an individual telegraph or CW operator when sending Morse code.
- 7 A person's characteristic handwriting. slang
- 8 A group of men.
- 9 The talons of a bird of prey.
"More light then Culver in the Faulcons fist."
- 10 An attempt at something. informal
"City look stronger, fitter and more motivated than last season and even at this early stage the gap feels like a sizeable advantage. Yes, it is way too early to make snap judgments about the impact on the title race. It has, however, been long enough to ascertain that Manuel Pellegrini’s team are going to make a much better fist of it this time."
Verb
- 1 To strike with the fist.
"...may not score a point with his open hand(s), but may score a point by fisting the ball."
- 2 To break wind. intransitive
- 3 To close (the hand) into a fist.
"He noticed Ada's trick of hiding her fingernails by fisting her hand or stretching it with the palm turned upward when helping herself to a biscuit."
- 4 To grip with a fist.
"I am an officer; but, how I wish I could fist a bit of old-fashioned beef in the fore-castle, as I used to when I was before the mast."
- 5 To fist-fuck. slang
Show 1 more definition
- 6 To stomp, to utterly defeat transitive
Proper Noun
- 1 Acronym of Future Infantry Soldier Technology. abbreviation, acronym, alt-of
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"The stockholders are making money hand over fist."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "fist"?
Common synonyms include: arrow, autography, blaze, bunch of fives, calligraphy, chirography.
How do you use "fist" in a sentence?
The stockholders are making money hand over fist.
How do you pronounce "fist"?
Pronounced /fɪst/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English fist, from Old English fȳst (“fist”), from Proto-West Germanic *fūsti, of uncertain origin. Cognates Cognate with Yola fest, hist (“fist”), Saterland Frisian Fäste, Fääste (“fist”), Central Franconian Fuus (“fist”), Cimbrian bòista, vòista (“fist”), Dutch vuist (“fist”), German Faust (“fist”), German Low German Fuust (“fist”), Luxembourgish Fauscht (“fist”), Yiddish פֿויסט (foyst, “fist”). More at five.
Etymology 2
From Middle English fisten, fiesten, from Old English *fistan ("to break wind gently"; supported by Old English fisting (“breaking wind”)), from Proto-Germanic *fistaz (“breaking wind, fart”), from Proto-Germanic *fīsaną (“to break or discharge wind, fart”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)peys- (“to blow, breathe”). Cognate with Dutch veest (“a fart”), Low German fīsten (“to break wind”), German Fist (“a quiet wind”), Fisten (“breaking wind”), Swedish fisa (“to fart”), Latin spīrō (“breathe, blow”).