fight
verb
- to attempt to harm somebody
- enter into conflict
noun
- fight
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /faɪt/ / /fəɪt/ / [fəɪʔ]
noun
Etymology: From Middle English fight, feyght, fiȝt, fecht, from Old English feoht, ġefeoht (“fight”), from Proto-West Germanic *fehtan (“to fight”), from Proto-Germanic *fehtą, *gafehtą (“fight, struggle”), from Proto-Germanic *fehtaną (“to struggle with”). Cognate with Dutch gevecht (“fight”), German Gefecht (“fight”).
- An occasion of fighting.
“One of them got stuck in a chokehold and got stabbed to death during the fight.”
- A battle between opposing armies.
- A physical confrontation or combat between two or more people or groups.
“Watch your language! Are you looking for a fight?”
- A boxing or martial arts match.
“I’m going to Nick’s to watch the big fight tomorrow night.”
- A conflict, possibly nonphysical, with opposing ideas or forces; strife.
“I’ll put up a fight to save this company.”
“‘Then the father has a great fight with his terrible conscience,’ said Munday with granite seriousness. ‘Should he make a row with the police […]? Or should he say nothing about it and condone brutality for fear of appearing in the newspapers?”
- The will or ability to fight.
“That little guy has a bit of fight in him after all. As soon as he saw the size of his opponent, all the fight went out of him.”
- A screen for the combatants in ships; an arming.
“Who ever ſaw a noble ſight, / That never view'd a brave Sea Fight: / Hang up your bloody Colours in the Aire, / Up with your Fights, and your Nettings prepare, / Your Merry Mates chear, with a luſty bold ſpright, / Now each Man his brindice, and then to the Fight, […]”
verb
Etymology: From Middle English fighten (“to fight”), from Old English feohtan (“to fight, combat, strive”), from Proto-West Germanic *fehtan (“to fight”), from Proto-Germanic *fehtaną (“to comb, tease, shear, struggle with”), from Proto-Indo-European *peḱ- (“to comb, shear”). Cognate with Scots fecht (“to fight”), West Frisian fjochtsje, fjuchte (“to fight”), Dutch vechten (“to fight”), Low German fechten (“to fight”), German fechten (“to fight, fence”), Danish fægte (“to fence, to fight (using blade weapons)”), Norwegian Bokmål and Norwegian Nynorsk fekte (“to fence”), Swedish fäkta (“to fence, to fight (using blade weapons), to wave vigorously (and carelessly) with one's arms”), Latin pectō (“comb, thrash”, verb), Albanian pjek (“to hit, strive, fight”), Ancient Greek πέκω (pékō, “comb or card wool”, verb). Related also to Old English feht (“wool, shaggy pelt, fleece”).
- Senses relating to physical conflict:
“My grandfather fought the Nazis in World War II.”
- Senses relating to physical conflict:
“Our soldiers fought the battle just over that hill.”
“I have fought a good fight.”
- Senses relating to physical conflict:
“A wounded animal will fight tooth and nail; relentless, savage and murderous.”
- Senses relating to physical conflict:
“The two boxers have been fighting for more than half an hour.”
- Senses relating to physical conflict:
“And so we made their grave where they should lie Close side by side, as they had fought their tank Through every fight, arm touching arm. We made it deep, that nothing of the conflict they had left above Should break into their peace.”
“to fight cocks; to fight one’s ship”
- To strive for something; to campaign or contend for success.
“He fought for the Democrats in the last election.”
“Old Applegate, in the stern, just set and looked at me, and Lord James, amidship, waved both arms and kept hollering for help. I took a couple of everlasting big strokes and managed to grab hold of the skiff's rail, close to the stern. Then, for a jiffy, I hung on and fought for breath.”
- To try to overpower; to fiercely counteract.
“The government pledged to fight corruption.”
“I fought a sneeze as Max took my hand and led me into the chapel.”
- Of colours or other design elements: to clash; to fail to harmonize.
“The higher the saturation, the more the colors fight, and the more users will be looking at your design instead of your content.”