Two dogs fight for a bone, and the third runs away with it.
Source: tatoeba (19374)
Fight
/faɪt/
Synonyms for "fight" (417 found)
Ranked by relevance and common usage.
Closest matches (84)
Noun(21 words)
battlecombatconflictaffrayaltercationaltercationsarguebattlesbattlingboutboutsboxesboxingbrawlbrawlingbrawlsbroilsbullfightscampaigncockfights
Show 1 more word
a outranceactionaerial combataffrayagainstaggressionaggressivenessagonizealtercatealtercationantagonismantagonizeargueargumentarmored combatattackavoidbandy withbattlebattle it out
Show 34 more words
battle royalbeat againstbeat up againstbeefbellicismbellicositybelligerencebelligerencybickerbicker overbickeringblood feudboutboxbrawlbreastbreast the wavebroilbrushbuckbuffetbuffet the wavesbullfightbump headscarry on hostilitieschauvinismclashclash of armscloseclose withcockfightcollidecombatcombativeness
Strong matches (125)
come to blowscompetecompete withconcoursconflictconflict withconfoundconfrontconfutecontendcontend aboutcontend againstcontend forcontend withcontentioncontentiousnessconterminouscontestcontradictcontravene
Show 63 more words
controversycope withcross swords withcut and thrustdebatedefydemurderbydifferdifference of opiniondifficultydisagreedisagreementdiscorddisorderdisputedissensiondissentdissidencedisturbancedogfightdonnybrookdonnybrook fairduelembroilmentencounterengageengage in hostilitiesengage withengagemententhusiasmexchange blowsexchange of blowsexchange shotsexpostulatefacefallfenceferocityfeudfiercenessfight a duelfight againstfight forfight like devilsfight overfight shy offight withfightingfire fightfliteflitingfracasfrayfree-for-allfussgainsaygamegamesgive and takegive satisfactiongogo to loggerheads
Noun(30 words)
Adjective(2 words)
Related words (208)
grapplegrapple withground combatgrunt and sweatgymkhanahand-to-hand combathand-to-hand fighthasslehave it outhave wordshostilitieshostilityhouse-to-house combathuff and puffimbroglioissuejingoismjoin battlejoin battle withjoin issue
Show 144 more words
jostlejoustkeep away fromknock-down-and-drag-outlabor againstlock hornslogomachymake a standmake warmartialismmatchmatchingmeasure swords withmeetmeetingmeleemettlemilitancymilitarismmilitate againstmisunderstandingmix it upmonomachynaval combatoffer resistanceolympic gamesolympicsopen quarrelopposeoppugnpassage of armspitched battlepluckpolemicprotestpugnaciouspugnaciousnesspugnacityquarrelquarrel overquarrelsomenessquestionrailrallyrasslerefutereluctreluctateremonstraterencontrerepelrepulseresistriotrise uprivalrowrowdyruckusructionrumblerun a tiltrun-inrunning fightsaber rattlingscramblescrapscrimmagescuffleset toset-tosettle itsharp wordsshed bloodshoving matchsingle combatskirmishslanging matchsnarlsparspatspill bloodspiritsquabblesquabble oversquallstand-up fightstemstem the tidestickle forstipulate forstreet fightstrifestrivestrive againststrive forstrive withstrivingstrugglestruggle againststruggle forstruggle withtaketake a standtake issue withtake ontangle withtauromachytestthrust and parrytifftilttilt withtournamenttourneytraversetrialtroubletruculencetry conclusions withtugtug-of-warturbulencetussleunfriendlinessunpeacefulnessvendettavievie forvie withwage warwarwarfarewarmongeringwarpathwithstandwordwordswranglewrangle overwrestlewrestle withzealzest
Choosing the right synonym
- Closest matches in this entry: battle, combat, conflict, a outrance, action.
- battle: 'Battle' is grander in scale, a fight can be personal, but a battle implies opposing sides, strategy, and stakes beyond the individuals involved.
- Sentence evidence is available for fight, so synonym choice can be checked against real usage rather than a flat word list.
- Ranking signals come from wordnet, opengloss, moby, wiktionary, and related lexical sources.
Synonym selection checklist
- Match the part of speech before comparing meanings.
- Check whether the synonym changes intensity, formality, or emotional tone.
- Read the replacement inside the full sentence, not just beside "fight".
- Prefer the clearest word over the most unusual word when writing for speed or comprehension.
When not to replace "fight"
Keep "fight" when the sentence already sounds natural, when a synonym would add unintended emphasis, or when readers need the most familiar wording. A synonym should clarify or sharpen the message, not simply make the sentence look more varied.
If two options seem close, choose the one that best matches the audience and purpose of the sentence.
Replacement workflow
1. Preserve meaning
Choose a synonym only if it keeps the core idea of "fight" intact in the sentence you are editing.
2. Tune tone
Check whether the replacement sounds more formal, casual, emotional, technical, or forceful than the original word.
3. Re-read context
Read the full sentence after the swap. Keep the synonym only when the sentence becomes clearer or more precise.
Review note: Synonym lists are ranked with lexical data and reviewed for practical writing value. Use the comparison notes, sentence evidence, and source labels together; a high-ranking synonym can still be wrong when the audience, register, or grammar changes.
Final fit check
After choosing a replacement for "fight", read the sentence once for meaning and once for rhythm. The best synonym should feel natural in the full sentence, not only accurate in a word list.
If the synonym makes the sentence slower, vaguer, or more dramatic than intended, keep "fight" or choose a simpler alternative from the closest-match group.
How these synonyms differ
- battle - 'Battle' is grander in scale, a fight can be personal, but a battle implies opposing sides, strategy, and stakes beyond the individuals involved.
- brawl - 'Brawl' is messy, chaotic fighting, unstructured, often spontaneous, and lacking any rules or dignity.
- clash - 'Clash' implies sudden, forceful collision, whether physical, ideological, or cultural. It's abrupt and often brief.
- combat - 'Combat' is formal and often military, it implies organized, sustained fighting with lethal intent, not a schoolyard scuffle.
- struggle - 'Struggle' emphasizes difficulty over aggression, you struggle against obstacles, illness, or circumstances, not just opponents.
Related word relations
OpenGloss and ConceptNet supply richer edges like generalizations, collocations, and derivations.
More general
37 entriesShowing 16 of 37 words.
More specific
14 entriesCollocations
10 entriesfight a battlefight against diseasefight backfight crimefight diseasefight for rightsfight off infectionfight or flightfight scenestreet fight
Inflections
3 entriesDerivations
3 entriessimilar
4 entriesTranslations
86 translations across 48 languages.
Arabic
2 entries- عَارَكَ verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
- قَاتَلَ verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Armenian
2 entries- պայքար noun (conflict of will, strife)
- մարտնչել verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Basque
2 entries- borroka egin verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
- borrokatu verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Belarusian
2 entries- барацьба́ noun (conflict of will, strife)
- ваява́ць verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Bulgarian
2 entries- борба́ noun (conflict of will, strife)
- бия се verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Catalan
1 entries- combatre verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Chickasaw
1 entries- ittafama verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Czech
1 entries- bojovat verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Danish
2 entries- kamp noun (conflict of will, strife)
- udkæmpe verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Dutch
4 entries- strijd noun (conflict of will, strife)
- bevechten verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
- vechten met verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
- vechten tegen verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Estonian
1 entries- sõdima verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Finnish
2 entries- taistelu noun (conflict of will, strife)
- taistella verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
French
2 entries- combativité noun (conflict of will, strife)
- combattre verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Galician
1 entries- combatir verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Georgian
2 entries- შებრძოლება verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
- შერკინება verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
German
3 entries- Streit noun (conflict of will, strife)
- kämpfen gegen verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
- kämpfen mit verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Greek
1 entries- πολεμώ verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Hebrew
3 entries- מַאֲבָק noun (conflict of will, strife)
- נאבק verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
- נלחם verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Hungarian
1 entries- küzdelem noun (conflict of will, strife)
Icelandic
1 entries- berjast við verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Irish
2 entries- comhrac noun (conflict of will, strife)
- troid verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Italian
1 entries- combattere verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Japanese
3 entries- 対決する verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
- 戦う verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
- 闘う verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Khmer
1 entries- ប្រយុទ្ឋ verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Korean
1 entries- 싸우다 verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Latin
1 entries- combattuo verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Latvian
1 entries- cīnīties verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Lithuanian
2 entries- kautis verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
- kovoti verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Mongolian
2 entries- байлдах verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
- тэмцэх verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Ngazidja Comorian
1 entries- uwana na verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Norwegian
1 entries- slåss verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Norwegian Bokmål
1 entries- kamp noun (conflict of will, strife)
Occitan
2 entries- batre verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
- combatre verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Old French
2 entries- batre verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
- cumbatre verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Persian
3 entries- نزاع noun (conflict of will, strife)
- کشمکش noun (conflict of will, strife)
- جنگیدن verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Polish
2 entries- bitwa noun (conflict of will, strife)
- walka noun (conflict of will, strife)
Portuguese
3 entries- luta noun (conflict of will, strife)
- combater verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
- lutar verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Romanian
1 entries- combate verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Romansch
1 entries- cumbatter verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Russian
4 entries- борьба́ noun (conflict of will, strife)
- би́ться verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
- воева́ть verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
- сража́ться verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Scottish Gaelic
3 entries- còmhrag noun (conflict of will, strife)
- cog verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
- sabaid verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Serbo-Croatian
2 entries- borba noun (conflict of will, strife)
- борба noun (conflict of will, strife)
Spanish
3 entries- lucha noun (conflict of will, strife)
- socaliña noun (conflict of will, strife)
- combatir verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Swahili
2 entries- vita noun (conflict of will, strife)
- vita verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Swedish
1 entries- kamp noun (conflict of will, strife)
Thai
1 entries- ต่อสู้ verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Tok Pisin
1 entries- paitim verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Ukrainian
2 entries- боротьба́ noun (conflict of will, strife)
- воюва́ти verb ((transitive) to contend in physical conflict against)
Sample sentences
34 total sentences available.
The argument ended in a fight.
Source: tatoeba (19984)
Slapped in the face, I didn't fight back.
Source: tatoeba (20762)
We will fight to the last.
Source: tatoeba (23292)
Showing 4 of 34 available sentences.
Common questions
What are the closest synonyms for "fight"?
Closest matches include battle, combat, conflict, a outrance, action.
How is "battle" different from "fight"?
'Battle' is grander in scale, a fight can be personal, but a battle implies opposing sides, strategy, and stakes beyond the individuals involved.
How should I check whether a synonym fits "fight"?
Compare the replacement against real sentence context. This entry includes sample sentences so you can check tone, grammar, and meaning before swapping words.