dogfight I. \ˈ ̷ ̷ˌ ̷ ̷\noun Etymology:dog (I) + fight 1.: a fight between or as if between dogs : melee; broadly: a fiercely disputed contest < political dogfights and skulduggery > 2.: a fight in aerial warfare between two or more fighter planes usually maneuvering at close quarters II. intransitive verb : to engage in an aerial dogfight transitive verb : to dogfight with