fightn.
/fʌɪt/, U.S. /faɪt/ 1. † c. Method of fighting. Obsolete.
a. The action of fighting. Now only archaic in phrase (valiant, etc.) in fight. †in fight: engaged in battle.
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society > society and the community > dissent > fighting > [noun]
fightOE
skirmingc1275
medleyc1330
mellinga1375
strugglingc1386
mellayc1400
meddlinga1450
skirmerya1500
stightlinga1500
debatea1533
camping?1549
scrambling1598
scuffling1599
duel1764
tussling1844
scrapping1891
bopping1958
OE Beowulf 959 We þæt ellenweorc..feohtan fremedon.
c1000 Ags. Ps. cxliii[i]. 1 God..tæceþ handa mine to feohte.
c1175 Lamb. Hom. 151 Beoð stronge on fihte.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 11581 To-gædere heo fusden and veht [c1300 Otho fiht] heo bigunnen.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 219 Moyses ouercom amalec..naȝt be uiȝt: ac be his holy biddinges.
c1400 (?c1380) Cleanness (1920) l. 275 He watz famed for fre þat feȝt loued best.
c1420 Anturs of Arth. xxii For Fraunse haue ȝe frely with ȝaure fiȝte wonne.
1548 Hall's Vnion: Edward IV f. ccxviiv The Erle of Warwicke after long fight, wisely did perceiue his men to be ouer pressed.
1553 G. Douglas tr. Virgil Eneados x. vi. 76 Thare sire that..companȝeoun was in fecht To Hercules.
1593 W. Shakespeare Venus & Adonis sig. Biij The god of fight.
1666 J. Evelyn Mem. (1857) ii. 5 The Duke of Albemarle was still in fight.
1680 R. Morden Geogr. Rectified (1685) 88 No River..affordeth more..sufficiency for Fight.
1859 Ld. Tennyson Enid in Idylls of King 12 So that I be not fall'n in fight.
b. In obvious phrases: †to fang, †take (the) fight, to give fight, to make (a) fight.
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society > armed hostility > war > wage war [verb (intransitive)]
warc1230
to make warc1275
warraya1300
battle1330
hostey?a1400
to make (a) fighta1400
to have, keep, make, smite, strike, battle1542
warfare1565
operate1781
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 5515 If þai tak agains vs fight.
1508 Golagros & Gawane (Chepman & Myllar) sig. cv Of thair strife sa strang The feght so fellely thai fang.
1831 Examiner 89/1 Suppose they..should make fight upon the occasion.
1834 F. Marryat Peter Simple I. x. 128 They..had resolved to ‘give fight’.
1847 F. Marryat Children of New Forest II. vi. 133 We will make a fight for it.
1884 Times 5 Mar. 5/2 Apparently..he made a great fight.
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society > armed hostility > armed encounter > contending in battle > [noun] > manner of fighting
warc1485
fight1603
1603 R. Knolles Gen. Hist. Turkes 89 After the manner of the fight of that time.
1613 J. Hayward William I 77 After~ward the English, being trained to that fight [i.e. the practice of archery] did thereby chiefly maintaine themselues with honourable aduantage against all nations.
2. A combat, battle.
a. A hostile encounter or engagement between opposing forces; = battle n. 1. Now archaic or rhetorical.
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society > armed hostility > armed encounter > [noun]
fightc893
coursec1325
stourc1325
acounterc1330
meetingc1330
setc1330
showera1375
brusha1400
semblya1400
hosting1422
poynyec1425
conflictc1440
militancea1460
grate1460
rencounter1471
chaplea1500
flitea1513
concourse?1520
concursion1533
rescounter1543
spurnc1560
rencontrea1572
discourse1573
action1579
combat1582
opposition1598
do1915
society > armed hostility > armed encounter > [noun] > battle or a battle
i-winc888
fightc893
wic897
wal-slaught?a900
fight-lacc1000
orrestlOE
battle1297
journeyc1330
warc1330
acounteringa1400
fieldc1425
engagement1665
affair1708
society > armed hostility > armed encounter > contending in battle > [noun]
fightc893
fighting?c1225
battlingc1300
armsc1325
toilc1330
toilingc1330
befighting1489
fielding1526
combating1594
preliation1640
c893 tr. Orosius Hist. i. ix. §1 Þæt..gefeoht betuh Cretense & Atheniense þam folcum.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 9328 Alle þa seouen nihte ilaste þat selliche feoht [c1300 Otho fiht].
c1310 in Pol. Songs (Camden) 190 Sire Jakes ascapede..Out of the fyhte..in wel muchele drede.
1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 ii. iv. 55 Thou hast talkt..Of..all the currents of a heddy fight . View more context for this quotation
1600 P. Holland tr. Livy Rom. Hist. ix. 327 The conflicts and fights at sea, in the first Punick warre.
a1671 T. Fairfax Short Mem. (1699) 68 This was the issue of Hornsby Fight.
1789 W. Cowper Annus Memorabilis 1789, 23 Siege after siege, fight after fight.
1822 P. B. Shelley Hellas 24 The sea-convulsing fight.
1852 Ld. Tennyson Ode Wellington 96 He that gain'd a hundred fights.
b. A combat between two or more persons or animals. Not now usually applied (exc. rhetorically) to a formal duel, but suggesting primarily either the notion of a brawl or unpremeditated encounter, or that of a pugilistic combat.
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society > society and the community > dissent > fighting > [noun] > a fight
bicker1297
fightc1300
tirpeilc1330
ragea1393
stradec1400
intermell1489
cockfighta1513
skirm1534
bustle1579
pell-mellc1586
brabble1587
jostle1607
scufflea1616
counterbuff1632
mêléea1648
roil1690
tussle1749
scrimmage1780
turn-up1810
scrape1812
pounding match1815
mellay1819
struggle1840
mix-up1841
scrap1846
rough-up1891
turn-to1893
push and shove1895
bagarre1897
stoush1908
dogfight1910
bundle1936
sort-out1937
yike1940
bassa-bassa1956
punch-up1958
thump-up1967
c1300 Havelok (Laud) (1868) 2668 So was bi-twenen hem a fiht Fro þe morwen ner to þe niht.
a1400 Octouian 1093 The Sarsyns cryde..To hare God Mahone To help her geaunt in that fyght.
1609 W. Shakespeare Troilus & Cressida iv. vi. 92 As you and Lord Eneas Consent vpon the order of their fight . View more context for this quotation
1678 S. Butler Hudibras: Third Pt. iii. i. 6 The Ancient Errant Knights, Won all their Ladies Hearts, in Fights.
1712 A. Pope Rape of Locke ii, in Misc. Poems 372 Nor fear'd the Chief th' unequal Fight to try, Who sought no more than on his Foe to die.
1817 P. B. Shelley Laon & Cythna i. viii. 5 An Eagle and a Serpent wreathed in fight.
1826 J. Wilson Noctes Ambrosianae xxvi, in Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. June 755 You hear..faint far-aff echoes o' fechts wi' watchmen.
1840 D. P. Blaine Encycl. Rural Sports §4077 (1852) 1229 New rules of the ring..adopted after a fatal fight between [etc.].
c. With various qualifying attributes. sham fight: a mimic battle (intended to exercise or test the troops engaged, or simply for display). †single fight: a duel. stand-up fight: one in which the combatants ‘stand up’ manfully to each other. Cf. running adj. 14.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > armed encounter > [noun] > single combat or duel
handplayeOE
deraignc1300
battlea1400
duellation1502
two-hand battlec1503
combat1567
push of pick1578
monomachy1582
combacy1586
hand fight1587
duel1589
rencounter1590
single fight1598
field meeting1603
camp-fight1605
duello1606
judicial combat1610
fight of stand?1611
stand-fight?1611
business1612
monomachia1624
single combat1625
single field1630
duelliona1637
rencontrea1722
affair of honour1737
meeting1813
holmgang1847
mensur1848
duomachy1885
society > armed hostility > drill or training > [noun] > type of drill or training
sham fight1598
field exercise1616
martinet1677
field evolutions1789
foot drill1795
goose-step1806
war-game1828
rope drill1833
field training1836
repetition training1859
skeleton drill1876
drill-down1889
Beast Barracks1896
basic training1898
monkey motion1909
assault course1915
TEWT1942
workup1971
Taceval1977
society > society and the community > dissent > fighting > [noun] > a fight > standing
knock-down1845
stand-up1868
stand-up fight1884
the mind > emotion > courage > valour > heroic resistance > [noun]
stand-up fight1890
Thermopylae1928
1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 v. i. 100 I..will..Trie fortune with him in a single fight . View more context for this quotation
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis viii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 456 Herilus in single Fight I slew.
1884 Pall Mall Gaz. 9 July 1/1 We can all understand a stand-up fight on a clear issue.
1890 Spectator 20 Sept. 362/2 The sham fight near Grosswardein in Hungary.
d. fight-off, a contest to decide a tie in a fencing match.
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society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > fencing > [noun] > bout or contest > types of
pool1901
fight-off1930
1930 Morning Post 14 July 15 In the fight-off, Armstrong worried at his enemy's arm with an incessant attack.
1961 Times 9 June 5/3 He then only tied for top place, and in the fight-off Howard..won 5–0.
e. fight-back n. a retaliation, rally, or recovery (see also quot. 1961). colloquial.
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the world > action or operation > difficulty > opposition > [noun] > step or movement in opposition
counterblast1567
stand1602
counter-motion1606
outstandingc1650
counterpace1692
counter-step1720
counter-move1858
counter-movement1866
fight-back1953
1953 Quick 9 Mar. 16 Butter producers mapped a ‘fight back’ against substitutes which have made inroads into the butter market.
1960 J. Fingleton Four Chukkas to Austral. v. 153 The great fight-back..the Englishmen made.
1961 New Scientist 17 Aug. 397/1 ‘Fight-back’,..referring to the way in which the cheese pushes back against your thumb when the pressure is released.
3. figurative. Strife, conflict, struggle for victory; = battle n. 7.
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society > society and the community > dissent > contention or strife > [noun]
i-winc888
wrestlingc890
fightc1000
flitec1000
teenOE
winOE
ungrithlOE
wara1200
cockingc1225
strife?c1225
strivingc1275
struta1300
barratc1300
thro1303
battlec1375
contentionc1384
tuggingc1440
militationa1460
sturtc1480
bargain1487
bargaining1489
distrifea1500
concertation1509
hold1523
conflict1531
ruffle1532
tangling1535
scamblingc1538
tuilyie1550
bustling1553
tilt1567
ruffling1570
wresting1570
certationc1572
pinglinga1578
reluctation1593
combating1594
yoking1594
bandying1599
tention1602
contrast1609
colluctation1611
contestationa1616
dimication1623
rixation1623
colluctance1625
decertation1635
conflicting1640
contrasto1645
dispute1647
luctation1651
contest1665
stickle1665
contra-colluctation1674
contrasting1688
struggle1706
yed1719
widdle1789
scrambling1792
cut and thrust1846
headbutting1869
push-and-pull1881
contending1882
thrust and parry1889
aggro1973
c1000 Bi Manna Mode (Gr.) 66 Wearð seo feohte to grim.
?c1225 (?a1200) Ancrene Riwle (Cleo. C.vi) (1972) 126 Vre lauerd seolf þer stont bi ham iþefecht.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 131 A ueld of uiyȝt huerinne him behoueþ eure to libbe.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Gött.) l. 20114 Loued scho nouþer fith na striue.
1526 Bible (Tyndale) 1 Tim. vi. 12 Fyght the good fyght of fayth.
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost vi. 30 Well hast thou fought The better fight . View more context for this quotation
1794 R. Burns Poems & Songs (1968) II. 755 Man is a soger, and Life is a faught.
1817 P. B. Shelley Laon & Cythna v. ii. 94 What secret fight Evil and good..Waged thro' that silent throng.
4. Power, strength or inclination for fighting; pugnacity. See also to show fight at show v. Phrases 16.
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society > society and the community > dissent > fighting > [noun] > tendency or inclination to fight
pugnacity1605
pugnaciousness1681
fight1812
combativeness1815
1812 Sporting Mag. 39 138 Which ultimately took the fight out of him.
1863 H. Kingsley Austin Elliot I. xv. 188 Until—something or another happens to make little Eleanor show fight.
1886 J. McCarthy & R. C. Praed Right Hon'ble I. vii. 120 Their country had fight enough in her yet.
1892 G. Hake Mem. 80 Years lxiv. 272 Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, a man of fight.
a. A kind of screen used during a naval engagement to conceal and protect the crew of the vessel. Usually in plural. Obsolete. See also close-fight n.
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society > armed hostility > hostilities at sea > naval weapons and equipment > [noun] > barriers in water > screen
pavisade1600
pavisado1609
fighta1616
a1616 W. Shakespeare Merry Wives of Windsor (1623) ii. ii. 132 Clap on more sailes, pursue: vp with your fights: Giue fire. View more context for this quotation
1631 T. Heywood Fair Maid of West: 1st Pt. iv. 50 Then now up with your fights.
1673 J. Dryden Amboyna iii. 31 Up with your Fights and your Nettings prepare.
1678 E. Phillips New World of Words (new ed.) Fightts in Navigation, are the Waste- [printed Mast-] clothes which hang round about the Ship, to hinder men from being seen in fight, or any place wherein men may cover themselves and yet use their Arms.
1721–1800 in N. Bailey Universal Etymol. Eng. Dict.
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society > armed hostility > defence > defensive work(s) > earthwork or rampart > [noun] > breastwork
foremost fight?1611
breast1624
breastwork1633
sangar1841
?1611 G. Chapman tr. Homer Iliads xii. 271 They fiercely set vpon..The Parrapets..ras't euerie formost fight..The Greeks yet stood, and stil repaird the forefights of their wall.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > armed forces > the Army > unit of army > [noun] > division
battle1330
left winga1450
right winga1450
parsmenta1522
partimenta1522
battalion1589
division1600
battaliaa1616
fight1622
army unit1847
mobile unit1896
air arm1913
reaction force1923
1622 M. Drayton 2nd Pt. Poly-olbion xxii. 32 The King into three fights his forces doth diuide.
Compounds
C1. General attributive.† fight-field n. Obsolete
ΚΠ
1608 J. Sylvester tr. G. de S. Du Bartas Deuine Weekes & Wks. (new ed.) ii. iv. 139 Till one winding Cave Becom the Fight-Field of two Armies brave.
fight-time n.
ΚΠ
c1540 (?a1400) Destr. Troy 6267 Þat our fos with no faulshed in þe fyght tyme, Sese not our Cité.
C2. † fight-rac't adj. Obsolete (? = racked adj.2), overthrown in battle.† fight-wite n. Obsolete a fine for taking part in a disturbance.
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society > armed hostility > defeat > [adjective]
matec1225
conquestc1400
convictc1430
triumphate1471
devict?a1475
vanquishedc1485
discomfecta1529
overcome1530
profligate1535
discomfited1538
defeatc1540
discomfishedc1540
suppriseda1547
beaten1550
conquered1552
ydaunted1581
overmastereda1586
expugned1598
profligated1599
tattered1599
triumphed1605
overcomed1607
fight-rac't?1611
convicteda1616
worsted1641
foiled1810
lost1822
defeateda1859
outfought1891
the world > existence and causation > creation > destruction > breaking or cracking > [adjective] > demolishing > demolished or ruined
razed?1518
flat1560
prostrate1560
overthrown1579
uplaid1582
demolished1609
fight-rac't?1611
collapsed1620
slighted1656
flatted1681
wrecked1818
fallen1821
torn-down1933
?1611 G. Chapman tr. Homer Iliads iv. 490 His fall was like a fight-rac't towre.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > punishment > fine > [noun] > for fighting or assault
fight-witec900
flitwitec1340
c900 Laws Edw. & Guth. xiii Þæt fyht-wite.
c1250 Gloss. Law Terms in T. Wright & J. O. Halliwell Reliquiæ Antiquæ (1845) I. 33 Ficthwite, quite de medlée de lamerci.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1896; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
fightv.
/fʌɪt/, U.S. /faɪt/ 1.
a. intransitive. To contend in battle or single combat.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > dissent > contention or strife > contend [verb (intransitive)]
winc888
fightc900
flitec900
wraxlec1000
wrestlea1200
cockc1225
conteckc1290
strivec1290
struta1300
topc1305
to have, hold, make, take strifec1374
stightlea1375
debatec1386
batea1400
strugglec1412
hurlc1440
ruffle1440
warc1460
warslea1500
pingle?a1513
contend1529
repugn1529
scruggle1530
sturtc1535
tuga1550
broilc1567
threap1572
yoke1581
bustle1585
bandy1594
tilt1595
combat1597
to go (also shake, try, wrestle) a fall1597
mutiny1597
militate1598
combatizec1600
scuffle1601
to run (or ride) a-tilt1608
wage1608
contesta1618
stickle1625
conflict1628
stickle1647
dispute1656
fence1665
contrast1672
scramble1696
to battle it1715
rug1832
grabble1835
buffet1839
tussle1862
pickeer1892
passage1895
tangle1928
society > society and the community > dissent > fighting > fight [verb (intransitive)]
fightc900
deal993
wraxlec1000
skirm?c1225
makec1275
mellc1300
to fight togethera1400
meddlec1400
match1440
wring1470
cobc1540
toilc1540
strike1579
beat1586
scuffle1590
exchange blows1594
to bang it out or aboutc1600
buffeta1616
tussle1638
dimicate1657
to try a friskin1675
to battle it1821
muss1851
scrap1874
to mix it1905
dogfight1929
yike1940
to go upside (someone's) head1970
society > armed hostility > armed encounter > contending in battle > contend in battle or give battle [verb (intransitive)]
fightc900
to bid, offer, refuse, accept, take (arch.) battle1297
to do battle1297
to give battle1297
strive13..
battle1330
to instore a battle1382
fettlec1400
pugnec1425
toilc1425
to deliver battle1433
conflict?a1475
bargain1487
mellaya1500
liverc1500
to come out1511
field1535
combat1589
to manage arms1590
sway1590
c900 Pol. Laws Alfred vii Be ðon ðe mon on cynges healle feohte.
OE Riddle 6 5 Oft ic cwice bærne, unrimu cyn eorþan getenge, næte mid niþe, swa ic him no hrine, þonne mec min frea feohtan hateþ.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1963) l. 1965 Heo bi-gunnen to fuhten.
a1325 (c1250) Gen. & Exod. (1968) l. 3227 He ne mogen figten a-gen, For [he] wið-vten wopen ben.
c1330 Arth. & Merl. 9923 On hors keuered Cleodalis, Þat al so wele yfouȝten, cert.
1352 L. Minot Poems v. 78 Sir Edward, oure gude king..Faght wele on þat flude.
1387 J. Trevisa tr. R. Higden Polychron. (Rolls) VII. 229 Þe tweie breþeren eorles..hadde stalworthliche i-fouȝte [MS. γ yvoȝte].
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 5666 Feghtand fand he Iuus tua.
c1430 J. Lydgate tr. Bochas Fall of Princes (1554) viii. xxix. 194 b Howe King Arthur..Fet with his knightes, and liueth in Fayrie.
1490 W. Caxton tr. Foure Sonnes of Aymon (1885) xii. 291 Yf we fyghte strongly, he is deed wythout remedy.
15.. Sir A. Barton in Surtees Misc. (1890) 73 Feight till ye heare my whisstill blowe.
1598 W. Shakespeare Henry IV, Pt. 1 v. iv. 145 We rose both at an instant, and fought a long houre by Shrewesburie clocke. View more context for this quotation
1603 J. Florio tr. M. de Montaigne Ess. i. iii. 7 Captaine Bayart..having stowtly foughten so long as he could stand.
1700 W. Congreve Way of World iii. i. 40 I thought once they wou'd have fit.
1719 D. Defoe Farther Adventures Robinson Crusoe 286 I..resolv'd to die fighting, to the last Gasp.
1869 R. D. Blackmore Lorna Doone I. ii. 12 Not that I was afraid of fighting..I had..foughten, all that time.
b. Const. against, †on or †upon, with (a person); hence, to fight together.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > dissent > fighting > fight with [verb (transitive)]
fightOE
strugglec1386
wrestle1398
cope witha1467
undertake1470
to set one's foot by1536
skirmc1540
make1542
to break blows, words with1589
combata1592
to take up1600
warsle1606
stoush1924
society > society and the community > dissent > fighting > fight [verb (intransitive)]
fightc900
deal993
wraxlec1000
skirm?c1225
makec1275
mellc1300
to fight togethera1400
meddlec1400
match1440
wring1470
cobc1540
toilc1540
strike1579
beat1586
scuffle1590
exchange blows1594
to bang it out or aboutc1600
buffeta1616
tussle1638
dimicate1657
to try a friskin1675
to battle it1821
muss1851
scrap1874
to mix it1905
dogfight1929
yike1940
to go upside (someone's) head1970
society > armed hostility > armed encounter > contending in battle > contend in battle or give battle [verb (intransitive)] > join or meet in battle
to come togetherOE
to lay togetherc1275
smitec1275
to have, keep, make, smite, strike, battle1297
joustc1330
meetc1330
copec1350
assemblea1375
semblea1375
coup?a1400
to fight togethera1400
strikea1400
joinc1400
to join the battle1455
to commit battle?a1475
rencounter1497
to set ina1500
to pitch a battlea1513
concura1522
rescounter1543
scontre1545
journey1572
shock1575
yoke1581
to give in1610
mix1697
to engage a combat1855
to run (or ride) a-tilt1862
OE Anglo-Saxon Chron. ann. 514 Stuf & Wihtgar fuhtun wiþ Brettas.
c1000 West Saxon Gospels: Luke (Corpus Cambr.) xiv. 31 Oððe gyf hwylc cynincg wyle faran & feohtan agen oðerne cyning.
c1175 Lamb. Hom. 129 Þe King constantinus ouer com al þet folc þe feiht to ȝeines him.
c1175 Ormulum (Burchfield transcript) l. 1842 He shollde fihhtenn. Onn ȝæn an drake.
c1275 (?a1200) Laȝamon Brut (Calig.) (1978) l. 12823 We habbeð wið him iuohten [c1300 Otho ifohte].
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 6405 A lauerding hight amalec, þat on þam faght, and þai on him.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Trin. Cambr.) l. 7462 Ouþer sende he to me hider A mon þat we may fiȝte to gider.
a1400 Burgh Laws xii, in Sc. Stat. I He may nocht fecht apon þe burges.
1473 J. Warkworth Chron. 6 Ther thei faughthe strongly togedere.
1535 Bible (Coverdale) 1 Macc. xii. 13 The kynges aboute vs haue foughten agaynst vs.
1611 Bible (King James) 1 Sam. xvii. 10 Giue me a man, that we may fight together . View more context for this quotation
1678 Lady Chaworth Let. 28 Mar. in Hist. MSS Comm.: 12th Rep.: App. Pt. V: MSS Duke of Rutland (1889) II. 48 in Parl. Papers (C. 5889-II) XLIV. 393 Some of [the King of France's] ships have fought with some Dutch ones.
1715 D. Defoe Family Instructor I. i. iv. 102 It may be your Mother may fight with you.
1805 R. Anderson Ballads in Cumberland Dial. 89 What..a lickin Tou gat when tou fit wi' Tom Wheyte.
c. Const. for = on behalf of (a person, etc.); on account of (a thing); hence in indirect passive.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > armed encounter > contending in battle > fight (a battle, etc.) [verb (transitive)] > fight on behalf of
fightc1330
c1330 (?a1300) Sir Tristrem (1886) l. 1034 He fauȝt for ingland.
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 15735 Al redi for to fight, On him he suld ha foghten fore.
c1440 Gesta Romanorum (Harl.) xlix. 220 I wolle Fite for hir.
1571 A. Golding tr. J. Calvin Psalmes of Dauid with Comm. (lv. 19) Angels, whome wee know to feyght in battellray for us.
1672–3 A. Marvell Rehearsal Transpros'd in Wks. II. 212 I think the cause was too good to have been fought for.
1782 Wolcot in J. J. Rogers Opie (1878) 22 He..is ready to fight up to his knees in blood for her Majesty.
1847 L. H. Kerr tr. L. von Ranke Hist. Servia xx. 364 The principle of emancipating the Christian population, for which the Servians fought.
d. Proverb.
ΚΠ
?a1300 Solomon & Saturn 272 Wel fyþt þat wel flyþ quoþ Hendyng.
c1440 Gesta Romanorum (Add. MS.) lvii. 420 It is an olde sawe, He feghtith wele that fleith faste.
e. To bring or get (oneself) into, out of, to (a certain condition, etc.) by fighting.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > dissent > fighting > change one's condition by fighting [verb (reflexive)]
fight1640
1640 Lawfulness Expedit. Eng. 3 We must doe as a man that fighteth himselfe out of prison.
1643 S. Marshall Copy of Let. 26 So many unworthy Gentlemen..fight themselves and posterity into slavery.
1873 Sat. Rev. 10 May 630/2 His sentence is to fight himself to death with trained gladiators in the amphitheatre.
f. Phrases. to fight with one's own shadow: to struggle vainly; to talk at random. Cf. Greek σκιαμαχεῖν. For to fight at sharp, to fight (for) one's own hand(s), to fight one's heart out, to fight the tiger, to fight tooth and nail: see hand n., heart n., int., and adv., sharp adj. and n.1, tiger n., tooth n. For that cock won't fight: see cock n.1 and int. Phrases 2c.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > debate, disputation, argument > controversy, dispute, argument > contend, dispute [phrase] > fruitlessly
to fight with one's own shadow1579
to draw the saw (of contention or controversy)1654
1579 W. Fulke Heskins Parl. Repealed in D. Heskins Ouerthrowne 377 In which argument he fighteth with his owne shadowe.
2. transferred and figurative.† d. To operate as an argument, ‘militate’.
a. To contend, strive for victory, struggle, engage in conflict. Const. as in 1. Of an animal: to struggle for freedom or mastery. Also transitive, to strive with (a horse, etc.) for mastery. U.S.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > by habits or actions > habits and actions > [verb (intransitive)] > fight or be obstinate
fight1850
the world > food and drink > farming > animal husbandry > animal keeping practices general > [verb (transitive)] > tame or train > strive with for mastery
fight1908
a1000 Solomon & Saturn 499 Þonne feohteð se feond.
c1175 Lamb. Hom. 151 Fihteð wið þe alde neddre.
c1200 Trin. Coll. Hom. 137 Þe flesliche lustes þe fihteð togenes þe soule.
a1340 R. Rolle Psalter xviii. 5 His body in þe whilke he faght wiþ þe fend.
1340 Ayenbite (1866) 176 Efterward me ssel zigge yef he ne heþ naȝt yuoȝte aye þe uondinge.
1393 W. Langland Piers Plowman C. xxii. 65 To fighten and fenden ous fro fallyng in-to synne.
1484 W. Caxton tr. G. de la Tour-Landry Bk. Knight of Tower (1971) xxxviii. 61 Alwey fyghtynge ageynste the fire of lecherye.
1548 Princess Elizabeth & J. Bale tr. Queen Margaret of Angoulême Godly Medytacyon Christen Sowle f. 23v Against whome thu faughtest so sore on the crosse.
1611 Bible (King James) 1 Cor. ix. 26 So fight I, not as one that beateth the ayre. View more context for this quotation
1645 E. Calamy Indictm. against Eng. 9 Men that fight against a Reformation.
1733 A. Pope Ess. Man iii. 305 For Modes of Faith let graceless Zealots fight.
1850 ‘H. Hieover’ Pract. Horsemanship 179 If you find he at all fights against you..stand now on no ceremony with him.
1856 Ld. Tennyson Maud (rev. ed.) xxviii. v, in Maud & Other Poems (new ed.) 110 It is better to fight for the good, than to rail at the ill.
1875 J. C. Wilcocks Sea-fisherman (ed. 3) 163 These larger fish fight well, sometimes requiring five or six minutes to kill them.
1908 C. E. Mulford Orphan i. 13 He mounted and fought the animal for a few minutes, just as he always had to fight it.
1920 J. M. Hunter Trail Drivers of Texas I. 231 I ‘fought’ cattle for nine years almost night and day.
b. to fight up against: to struggle against (something of overwhelming power).
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > difficulty > opposition > oppose [verb (transitive)] > strive against
to stand with ——OE
warc1230
contrast1489
gainstrive1549
oppugn1591
warsle1606
combat1627
stickle1627
reluctate1668
antagonize1742
to fight up against1768
1768 L. Sterne Sentimental Journey II. 54 The Marquis..had fought up against his condition with great firmness.
1817 S. T. Coleridge Biogr. Lit. (1847) II. 142 I soon felt that human nature itself fought up against this wilful resignation of intellect.
1838 E. Bulwer-Lytton Alice II. vii. v. 338 Lumley..fought up against his own sensations.
c. To clash or jar with. rare.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > unpleasant quality > harsh or discordant quality > harsh or discordant [verb (transitive)] > clash or jar with
fighta1623
a1623 H. Swinburne Treat. Spousals (1686) 8 This distinction fighteth with the former definition of Spousals.
1645 S. Rutherford Tryal & Trivmph of Faith (1845) 81 It cannot be meant of Christ personally, for so it should fight with the scope of Paul.
1876 C. M. Yonge Womankind xv. 116 One of those tints that ‘fight’ with the fewest colours.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > testing > attestation, witness, evidence > attest, bear witness [verb (transitive)] > of evidence: tell for or against
fight1587
militatec1600
make1726
1587 Sir P. Sidney & A. Golding tr. P. de Mornay Trewnesse Christian Relig. xiv. 244 All the reasons which thou alledgest against the immortalitie of the soule, doe feight directly to the proofe of it.
3.
a. quasi-transitive with cognate object. Also †to fight it.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > armed encounter > contending in battle > fight (a battle, etc.) [verb (transitive)]
smitec1325
fighta1400
strike1487
contest1614
a1400 (a1325) Cursor Mundi (Vesp.) l. 17090 Hu he again ur wyþerwin, ur bateil tok to fight.
1523 Ld. Berners tr. J. Froissart Cronycles I. xxxi. 45 There was a sore batayle, and well foughten hande to hande.
1606 G. W. tr. Justinus Hist. 68 a Their was a field fought betweene the fugetiue senators and himselfe.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 2 (1623) i. iii. 219 I shall neuer be able to fight a blow. View more context for this quotation
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Georgics ii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 94 His wanton Kids..Fight harmless Battels in his homely Yard. View more context for this quotation
1769 O. Goldsmith Rom. Hist. II. 498 The senate dispatched their ambassadors to Alarick, desiring him..to give them leave to fight it with him, in the open field.
1776 Trial Maha Rajah Nundocomar for Forgery 64/1 The battle of Buzar was fought the 23d of October.
a1822 P. B. Shelley Peter Bell III vi, in Poet. Wks. (?1840) 243/2 I've half a mind to fight a duel.
1847 F. Marryat Children of New Forest II. xiii. 281 A severe action was fought in the streets.
b. To maintain (a cause, quarrel) by fighting. Often transferred, to fight an action (at law), to fight a case, etc.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > dissent > contention or strife > carry on (a contest, fight, etc.) [verb (transitive)]
wagec1485
debate1490
fighta1616
a1616 W. Shakespeare As you like It (1623) v. iv. 47 I haue had foure quarrels, and like to haue fought one. View more context for this quotation
1713 J. Addison Cato i. i He fights the cause Of honor, virute, liberty, and Rome.
1784 R. Bage Barham Downs I. 239 We fought this business four whole days.
1868 E. Yates Rock Ahead III. iii. v. 195 Gilbert Lloyd saw that there was no use fighting the question any longer.
1893 Law Times 94 559 1 If I had had my way, I would have fought every one of these actions.
c. To win or make (one's way) by fighting.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > endeavour > make an attempt or endeavour [verb (intransitive)] > strive or struggle
hiec888
to stand inc1175
wrag?c1225
wrestle?c1225
stretcha1375
strivec1384
pressc1390
hitc1400
wring1470
fend15..
battle1502
contend?1518
reluct1526
flichter1528
touse1542
struggle1597
to lay in1599
strain?1606
stickle1613
fork1681
sprattle1786
buffet1824
fight1859
society > society and the community > dissent > fighting > fight with [verb (transitive)] > make (one's way) by fighting
fight1859
1859 Ld. Tennyson Enid in Idylls of King 46 I will not fight my way with gilded arms. All shall be iron.
1861 T. Hughes Tom Brown at Oxf. I. iv. 72 No one knew whether a boy..would have to fight his own way in the world.
4.
a. transitive. To combat; to engage or oppose in battle; to war against.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > armed encounter > contending in battle > fight (a battle, etc.) [verb (transitive)] > contend with
acounterc1330
bargainc1375
battlec1399
rencontre1455
field1529
pallc1540
cope with1582
combata1592
to grapple witha1616
to give against ——1646
fight1697
contest1764
1697 J. Dryden tr. Virgil Æneis vii, in tr. Virgil Wks. 419 To fight the Phrygian and Ausonian Hoasts.
1797 R. Southey Botany Bay Eclogues in Poems 88 'Tis a fine thing to fight the French for fame!
1859 Ld. Tennyson Enid in Idylls of King 12 Then will I fight him, and will break his pride.
b. transferred and figurative. to fight fire: cf. firefighter n., firefighting n. 1.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > properties of materials > temperature > coldness > extinguishing fire > extinguish (fire) [verb (transitive)] > fight (fire)
to fight fire1835
1785 W. Cowper Task iii. 560 The shifts Which he that fights a season so severe Devises.
1824 W. Owen Diary 24 Dec. in Indiana Hist. Soc. Publ. (1906) IV. 83 Then they fight it [sc. a fire]..endeavouring to overcome it by striking it with clap-boards.]
1835 J. Abbott New Eng. & Inst. 21 For days and nights together, all the physical force of the village has been arrayed in ‘fighting the fire’.
1850 Ld. Tennyson In Memoriam cxii. 176 She cannot fight the fear of death. View more context for this quotation
1852 M. Arnold Tristram & Iseult xiv Some ship that fights the gale.
1860 Leisure Hour 1 Nov. 690/2 Fight fire, fight water, fight Farmer Jackson, wagoner and mate.
1865 Chambers's Jrnl. 29 July 470/1 They took away from the local firemen their apparatus, and proceeded in their own way to ‘fight fire’.
1944 J. S. Huxley On Living in Revol. ii. 22 There are today thousands who, though they may sometimes grumble, at heart have enjoyed fighting fires or acting as wardens.
c. To beat, flog. Chiefly absol. Obsolete exc. dialect.
ΘΚΠ
society > authority > punishment > corporal punishment > administer corporal punishment [verb (transitive)] > beat
threshOE
beatc1000
to lay on?c1225
chastise1362
rapa1400
dressc1405
lack?c1475
paya1500
currya1529
coil1530
cuff1530
baste1533
thwack1533
lick1535
firka1566
trounce1568
fight1570
course1585
bumfeage1589
feague1589
lamback1589
lambskin1589
tickle1592
thrash1593
lam1595
bumfeagle1598
comb1600
fer1600
linge1600
taw1600
tew1600
thrum1604
feeze1612
verberate1614
fly-flap1620
tabor1624
lambaste1637
feak1652
flog1676
to tan (a person's) hide1679
slipper1682
liquora1689
curry-comb1708
whack1721
rump1735
screenge1787
whale1790
lather1797
tat1819
tease1819
larrup1823
warm1824
haze1825
to put (a person) through a course of sprouts1839
flake1841
swish1856
hide1875
triangle1879
to give (a person or thing) gyp1887
soak1892
to loosen (a person's) hide1902
1570 T. Tusser Hundreth Good Pointes Husbandry (new ed.) f. 30 A wand in thy hand though ye fight not all, make youth to their businesse the better to fall.
1875 W. D. Parish Dict. Sussex Dial. ‘I wants more learning and less fighting.’
1877 E. Peacock Gloss. Words Manley & Corringham, Lincs. ‘I sha'n't let our Bob go to school no more, master feights bairns.’
5. To contend in single combat for (a prize).
ΘΚΠ
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting sports > fight a person [verb (transitive)]
fight1826
1826 W. Scott Woodstock II. ii. 51 I..have fought prizes.
1835 R. Browning Paracelsus iv. 156 While we fight the prize, Troop you in safety to the snug back-seats.
6. To cause to fight; to set on to fight.
ΘΚΠ
society > society and the community > dissent > fighting > fight with [verb (transitive)] > cause or set to fight
fightc1680
society > leisure > sport > types of sport or game > fighting or baiting animals > fighting between animals > fight between animals [verb (transitive)] > set animals to fight
handle1756
fight1828
c1680 E. Hickeringill Wks. (1716) II. 528 The Prince of Poets.. never fights his Champion Achilles, till he has first buckled on him his Armour of Proof.
1828 W. Scott Fair Maid of Perth iv, in Chron. Canongate 2nd Ser. II. 106 The nobles and gentry had fought cocks.
1864 C. Dickens Our Mutual Friend (1865) I. i. iv. 25 Rubbish was shot, dogs were fought.
7. To command, manage, or manœuvre (troops, a ship, gun, etc.) in battle.
ΘΚΠ
society > armed hostility > military operations > manoeuvre > [verb (transitive)]
manoeuvre1777
fight1779
society > armed hostility > military service > make into soldier [verb (transitive)] > lead or command
leada900
awit1250
guidec1374
conducta1500
command1594
officer1709
command-in-chief1759
fight1779
general1797
1779 J. Burgoyne Let. to Constituents (ed. 3) 15 My intention of fighting my own regiment as colonel.
1812 J. B. Skerrett in Examiner 28 Sept. 615/1 Gallantly fighting his gun.
1843 Blackwood's Edinb. Mag. 54 216 He fights his vessel well.
1862 Gen. Lee in Cent. Mag. May (1887) 150/1 General A. P. Hill..fights his troops well.
8. With adverbs. to fight back: to resist. to fight down: to overcome. to fight off: (a) transitive to deliver oneself with effort from; to repel, literal and figurative; (b) intransitive to try to back out of anything. †to fight over: to fight one after another. to fight out: to settle (a dispute) by fighting, to fight to the end; often to fight it out.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > will > decision > constancy or steadfastness > adhere constantly or steadfastly to [verb (transitive)] > endure without giving way
tholec1175
suffera1387
outbear1530
to fight out1548
sustain1573
stand1575
hold1592
to stand out1600
to bide out1637
to stand for ——1896
tough1974
society > society and the community > dissent > fighting > fight [verb (intransitive)] > settle a matter by fighting
to fight out1548
to fray it out1889
to slug it out1943
society > society and the community > dissent > fighting > fight with [verb (transitive)] > fight one after another
to fight over1548
the world > action or operation > difficulty > opposition > oppose [verb (intransitive)] > resist > successfully
hold one's ownc1330
to hold (a) spurna1400
to fight off1787
the world > action or operation > difficulty > opposition > oppose [verb (transitive)] > resist
withstandc888
withsake971
forstanda1000
to stand again ——OE
withsetc1000
again-standOE
to stand againOE
warnc1175
wiþerhaldec1175
atstandc1220
astand1250
withsitc1300
sitc1325
asitc1330
(it) may well withc1395
reversea1400
resist1417
ofstandc1425
onstandc1425
gainstand?c1450
endure1470
obsista1475
repugna1513
recountera1525
occur1531
desist1548
impugn1577
obstrigillate1623
counter-stand1648
stem1675
repique1687
to make face to1807
to fight off1833
to stick up1838
bay1848
withstay1854
buck1857
the mind > will > decision > irresolution or vacillation > reversal of or forsaking one's will or purpose > reverse or abandon one's purpose [verb (intransitive)] > withdraw from an engagement or promise
starta1450
fang1522
recidivate1528
to draw back1572
flinch1578
to shrink collar1579
retract1616
to shrink out of the collar1636
renege1651
to fly off1667
to slip (the) collarc1677
to declare off1749
to cry off1775
to back out1807
to fight off1833
crawfish1848
welsh1871
to pull out1884
the world > action or operation > difficulty > opposition > oppose [verb (intransitive)] > resist
withstandc950
to make debatea1375
repugna1382
resista1547
reluct1547
reluctate1640
recalcitrate1647
renite1647
to fight back1890
1548 W. Patten Exped. Scotl. sig. G.ijv If they had meant to fight it out.
1594 W. Shakespeare Titus Andronicus v. iii. 101 That true hand that fought Romes quarrell out. View more context for this quotation
a1616 W. Shakespeare Tempest (1623) iii. iii. 103 But one feend at a time, Ile fight their Legions ore. View more context for this quotation
a1732 T. Boston Crook in Lot (1805) 99 It is better to yield to providence, than to fight it out.
1787 E. Burke Corr. (1844) III. 49 You perceive the manner in which Anderson fights off.
1800 H. Dundas in Marquess Wellesley Select. Despatches (1877) 556 I must therefore fight it down.
1821 J. Bentham Elements Art of Packing 51 After fighting off till judgment.
1831 Examiner 193/2 Stand to, and fight it out without fear.
1833 T. Hook Snowdon v, in Love & Pride II. 201 Fight off the wedding, if you please: be ill—make any excuse.
1886 Law Times' Rep. 55 283/1 The issues which are not fought out.
1890 John Bull 5 Apr. 229/2 These people were fighting back the diseases manfully.
9. to fight shy: perhaps originally to lose confidence in battle; recorded only in the sense: To keep aloof, avoid intercourse with a person, evade an undertaking, etc. Const. of. Similarly in 15th cent. to fight sore at heart.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > emotion > suffering > suffer mental pain [verb (intransitive)]
tholec897
throwOE
smarta1200
pinea1225
to well in woea1350
painc1350
labourc1450
to fight sore at heart1490
tear1666
society > society and the community > social relations > lack of social communication or relations > lack of social communications or relations [verb (intransitive)]
to keep quarterc1550
uncompane1589
to have nothing to say to (also with)1603
to live in (also within) oneself1644
to keep oneself to oneself1748
to fight shy1778
to cultivate one's (own) garden1789
to hoe one's own row1832
the world > action or operation > inaction > not doing > abstaining or refraining from action > abstain or refrain from action [verb (intransitive)] > avoid
avoid1577
to shy out of1792
to fight shy1821
to run a mile1835
1490 W. Caxton tr. Foure Sonnes of Aymon (1885) iv. 125 He knewe well he sayd trouth, and beganne to fyghte sore atte his herte.
1778 F. Burney Let. 3 Sept. in Early Jrnls. & Lett. (1994) III. 124 I fight very shy with Mr. Seward, &..he takes the hint.
1786 H. Mackenzie Lounger No. 98. ⁋2 I fought a little shy, as the saying is.
1821 W. Irving Life & Lett. (1864) II. 44 I have..had to fight shy of invitations that would exhaust time and spirits.
1867 J. A. Froude Short Stud. (ed. 2) 138 The better sort of people fight shy of him.
Draft additions December 2014
to fight the good fight.
a. In full to fight the good fight of faith: to defend, promote, or uphold the tenets of one's religion (originally and chiefly Christianity), esp. in the face of opposition or persecution.With allusion to St Paul (1 Timothy 6:12: see quot. 1534).
ΚΠ
1534 Bible (Tyndale) 1 Tim. vi. C Fyght ye good fyght of fayth.
1582 T. Bentley Fift Lampe Virginitie 210 O Lord..giue me strength, I praie thee, to fight the good fight of faith.
1694 tr. J. Foxe Of Free Justif. by Christ 252 I have fought, saith he, the good fight [L. certamen, inquit, bonum certaui], and a Crown of Righteousness is laid up for me.
1762 J. Conder Peaceful End 16 Let it animate the spiritual Soldier amidst his most trying and dangerous conflicts, still to fight the good fight of faith, and stand his ground against the powers of darkness.
1828 Spiritual Mag. Feb. 257 Amidst all the snares and trials of the world, you are called upon to be looking off unto him, till having fought the good fight you enter heaven to be for ever with the Lord.
1995 V. Chandra Red Earth & Pouring Rain (1996) 490 Here there was..true faith, a Christianity not weakened and effeminized, but strong, and potent, that one might fight the good fight, and bring light to the world.
2008 J. Kendall Man worth waiting For iv. 68 Don't settle for a man who is not fighting the good fight of faith.
b. gen. To campaign or struggle valiantly for a just cause; to defend what one believes to be right.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > easiness > aid, help, or assistance > support > support or encouragement > support or encourage [verb (transitive)] > a cause, principle, etc.
to bear upc1475
patrocinate1593
patrocinea1633
upstand1722
to fight the good fight1809
1809 S. T. Coleridge Let. 11 Oct. (1956) III. 245 The Courier..has manfully fought the good fight for Spain & against Peace-men.
1886 R. L. Stevenson Lett. (1899) II. 41 A critic like you is one who fights the good fight, contending with stupidity.
1934 Vidette-Messenger (Valparaiso, Indiana) 5 Sept. 5/4 In the United States we are fighting the good fight to save our democracy from the menace of any and all of these extremes.
2006 Canberra Times (Nexis) 18 June a2 We have a population and a government who are willing to fight the good fight even if they probably won't win.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1896; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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n.c893v.c900- sub-consul
- sub-consular
- sub-contained
- sub-contra octave
- sub-counties
- sub-country
- sub-county
- sub-creatively
- sub-creator
- sub-creek
- sub-crest
- sub-cretaceous
- sub-crossing
- sub-curate
- sub-curator
- sub-curatorship
- sub-customer
- sub-deaconhood
- sub-dean
- sub-deans
- sub-deb
- sub-debutante
- sub-definition
- sub-deity
- sub-demise