fight
/fʌɪt
/verb (past and past participle fought /fɔːt/)
1 [no object] Take part in a violent struggle involving the exchange of physical blows or the use of weapons: the men were fighting protesters fought with police Cameron fought back as hard as he could...
- A study found that girls as young as 13 are smoking, swearing, fighting, drinking and disrupting lessons in ever higher numbers.
- Her personal bodyguards fought valiantly to keep by her side.
- Needless to say, I struggled and fought like hell the whole damn way.
Synonyms
brawl, come to blows, exchange blows, attack/assault each other, hit/punch each other;
box;
struggle, grapple, wrestle, scrimmage;
do battle, engage in conflict, contend;
spar, joust, tilt, cross swords, lock horns, lock antlers
informal scrap, have a dust-up, have a set-to
British informal have a punch-up
Scottish informal swedge
North American informal roughhouse
Australian/New Zealand informal stoush, go the knuckle
violent, combative, aggressive, pugnacious, truculent, belligerent, bellicose, disputatious, antagonistic, argumentative, hawkish
1.1Engage in a war or battle: those who had fought for King and country [with object]: the country is still fighting a civil war...
- He returns to battle and fights, pushing ever closer to the walls of the city.
- The people of Arnhem yesterday welcomed back the old soldiers who fought so bravely to free them 60 years ago.
- People come and go, epochs change, battles are fought, wars won and lost, but India exists.
Synonyms
battle, do battle, give battle, wage war, go to war, make war, take up arms;
attack, mount an attack;
combat, engage, meet, clash, skirmish;
be a soldier, fight for Queen/King and country;
crusade
engage in, wage, conduct, prosecute, carry on, pursue, undertake, practise, proceed with, go on with
1.2 [with object] archaic Command, manage, or manoeuvre (troops, a ship, or military equipment) in battle: General Hill fights his troops well...
- He fights his vessel well.
1.3Quarrel or argue: they were fighting over who pays the bill...
- They have been fighting over custody issues for an epic two years.
- Does your child hear you talking about troubles at work or fighting with your spouse about financial matters?
- George I and his son shared a deep mutual dislike for each other, were political opposites, and fought constantly.
Synonyms
quarrel, argue, row, bicker, squabble, have a row/fight, wrangle, dispute, be at odds, disagree, fail to agree, differ, be at variance, have words, bandy words, be at each other's throats, be at loggerheads;
battle, feud
informal fall out, scrap, go at it hammer and tongs, fight like cat and dog, argufy
archaic altercate, chop logic
Scottish archaic threap
1.4 [with object] Take part in a boxing match against (an opponent): McCracken will fight Sheffield’s Martin Smith...
- When he fought Corrales, he fought a very good fighter who was fighting the best fight of his life.
- Young, like Byrd, fought some monster heavyweights as well.
- Following four comeback fights, he was in position to fight new champion Evander Holyfield.
2 [with object] Struggle to overcome, eliminate, or prevent: a churchman who has dedicated his life to fighting racism the company intends to fight the decision...
- The chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee wants to expand the government's powers to fight terrorism.
- Why do we fight even what we know to be in our own vital interests?
- Forty fire trucks and 440 firefighters valiantly fought the blaze for three hours.
Synonyms
oppose, contest, contend with, confront, challenge, combat, dispute, object to, quarrel with, argue against/with;
withstand, resist, defy, fly in the face of;
strive/struggle against, take a stand against, put up a fight against, stand up and be countecatd against, take issue with, question
rare controvert
2.1 [no object] Strive to achieve or do something: I will fight for a fairer society for several days, doctors fought to save his life...
- Their crime was to form a union of agricultural labourers to fight for better wages and conditions.
- It goes to show what we pensioners can achieve if we stand up and fight for our rights.
- A group of Kingston doctors has united to fight for the return of the family doctor.
Synonyms
campaign, strive, battle, struggle, contend, grapple, war, crusade, agitate;
speak, lobby;
work, push, press
champion, promote, advocate, plead for, defend, protect, uphold, support, back, espouse, stand up for, campaign for, lobby for, battle for, crusade for, take up the cudgels for
2.2Endeavour vigorously to win (an election or other contest).The pundits tell us that this entire election was fought over a difference of opinion about how to spend 2% of our GDP....
- It is a contest being fought by e-mail, direct mail and telephone, alongside the traditional door knock.
- A close contest was fought with the American Lisa Raymond on Court 18.
2.3Attempt to repress (a feeling or its expression): she had to fight back tears of frustration...
- Tara crossed her arms over her chest, fighting the feeling of defensiveness she got whenever he spoke to her like that.
- The customer turned towards the door, and she once again fought the urge to hide.
- He fought hard the urge to look around at all the people, the shouting, the screaming.
Synonyms
repress, restrain, suppress, stifle, smother, hold back, keep back, fight back, keep in check, check, curb, contain, control, keep under control, rein in, silence, muffle, bottle up, choke back, swallow, strangle, gag
informal button up, keep the lid on, cork up
repress, restrain, suppress, stifle, smother, hold back, keep back, keep in check, check, curb, contain, control, keep under control, rein in, silence, muffle, bottle up, choke back, swallow, strangle, gag
informal button up, keep the lid on, cork up
2.4 (fight one's way) Move forward with difficulty, especially by pushing through a crowd: she watched him fight his way across the room...
- You fought your way through the crowds to get it, just for this moment.
- After the group finished their set, my friends and I fought our way through the crowd to catch another band on the main stage.
- We fought our way - and we mean fought our way - through the crowd waiting to get into the Evanescence show.
noun
1A violent confrontation or struggle: he’d got into a fight with some bouncers outside a club...
- Her right arm is in bandages after she got into a fight at a nightclub with a crazed fan.
- Another time everything was going fine in America until he got into a fight with a Columbian man and once more was deported.
- Somewhere between Colorado and New Mexico he got into a fight with an irate florist.
Synonyms
brawl, fracas, melee, row, rumpus, confrontation, skirmish, sparring match, exchange, struggle, tussle, scuffle, altercation, wrangle, scrum, clash, disturbance;
fisticuffs, rough and tumble;
Irish, North American, & Australian donnybrook
informal scrap, dust-up, set-to, shindy, shindig, free-for-all
British informal punch-up, bust-up, ruck, bit of argy-bargy, barney
British informal, Football afters
Scottish informal rammy, swedge, square go
North American informal roughhouse, brannigan
Australian/New Zealand informal stoush
Law, dated affray
rare broil, bagarre
1.1A boxing match.This was his last hurrah but even today, he still stays in the boxing games by refereeing fights in Ohio....
- This year will also witness the last fights of boxing legend Lennox Lewis.
- The only time he was ever shook or stopped were in his fights with Holmes and Tyson.
Synonyms
boxing match, bout, match, meeting, fixture, game, encounter
1.2A battle or war: Britain might have given up her fight against Germany...
- Every combatant there went into the arena in full battle gear for a fight to death or surrender.
- There were casualties in wars, battles, fights; He knew and understood this.
- The two shared their ideas on battles and fights and the results came up with a quite an interesting effect.
Synonyms
battle, engagement, clash, conflict, contest, encounter;
skirmish, scuffle, tussle, struggle, brush, exchange;
war, campaign, crusade, warfare, combat, action, hostilities
1.3A vigorous struggle or campaign for or against something: their fight for control of the company a long fight against cancer...
- A mother dying from cancer has lost her fight for life and the chance to see her imprisoned son for the first time in three years.
- The only way to make them say yes is to collect the people in a movement that is seen as a fight for the basic rights of individuals.
- But Mr Aldred said he will never give up in his fight for justice.
Synonyms
struggle, battle, campaign, endeavour, drive, push, effort, movement, move
1.4An argument or quarrel: he’d had another fight with Katie...
- And, you know, like any normal couple, we have our fights and arguments and disagreements.
- In the future, fights and disagreements between husbands and wives will simply result in the immediate end of their marriages.
- There were no fights, no arguments, nothing of the sort.
Synonyms
argument, quarrel, squabble, row, wrangle, disagreement, difference of opinion, falling-out, contretemps, tangle, altercation, fracas;
dispute, disputation, contention;
feud
informal tiff, set-to, shindig, shindy, stand-up, run-in, spat, scrap, ruction
British informal slanging match, barney, bunfight, ding-dong, bust-up, ruck
1.5 [mass noun] The inclination or ability to fight or struggle: Ginny felt the fight trickle out of her...
- By late October, they were being hailed for their spirit and fight.
- I realised that I had no fight left in me, no strength left to challenge what was being said.
- Alex praised us for our spirit and fight and he's got to take a lot of credit for the tactics he used.
Synonyms
will to resist, power to resist, resistance, morale, spirit, courage, pluck, pluckiness, gameness, will to win, strength, backbone, spine, mettle, stout-heartedness, determination, firmness of purpose, resolution, resolve, resoluteness, confidence;
aggression, aggressiveness, belligerence, militancy, boldness, audacity, forcefulness
informal guts, grit, spunk
British informal bottle
North American informal sand, moxie
Phrases
fight fire with fire
fight like cat and dog
fight a losing battle
fight shy of
make a fight of it
fight or flight
put up a fight
Phrasal verbs
fight someone/thing off
Origin
Old English feohtan (verb), feoht(e), gefeoht (noun), of West Germanic origin; related to Dutch vechten, gevecht and German fechten, Gefecht.