fought
ˈfȯt 
; fighting
; fighting
1
a
: to contend in battle or physical combat
especially
: to strive to overcome a person by blows or weapons
The soldiers fought bravely.
b
: to engage in boxing
He will fight for the heavyweight title next month.
2
: to put forth a determined effort
They were fighting to stay awake.
1
a(1)
: to contend against in or as if in battle or physical combat
fought the invaders of his homeland
was fighting a forest fire
(2)
: to box against in the ring
fought several strong contenders
b(1)
: to attempt to prevent the success or effectiveness of
the company fought the takeover attempt
(2)
: to oppose the passage or development of
fight a bill in Congress
3
: to struggle to endure or surmount
fight a cold
is fighting cancer
4
a
: to gain by struggle
fights his way through
b
: to resolve by struggle
fought out their differences in court
5
a
: to manage (a ship) in a battle or storm
b
: to cause to struggle or contend
c
: to manage in an unnecessarily rough or awkward manner
Synonyms
Examples of fight in a Sentence
Verb
When he was young he was always fighting.
He fought like a tiger.
The U.S. and Germany fought in World Wars I and II.
They vowed to fight the invaders of their homeland.
The U.S. fought Germany in World Wars I and II.
He and his wife are always fighting over money.
We were fighting to protect our jobs.
Noun
A fight broke out in the bar.
When he was young he was always getting into fights.
He got into another fight with his wife about money.
a fight for the heavyweight title
Recent Examples on the Web
Thomas Elias, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
Tyson has not fought professionally since losing to Kevin McBride in the sixth round in 2005.
—Greg Rosenstein, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
But once the fight ended, Talley said things calmed down and after some time even more people congregated in the parking lot.
—Marquise Francis, NBC News, 12 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fight 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Verb
Prisoners will keep fighting fires, too, with convicts able to win early-release credits on the fire lines.
—Thomas Elias, The Mercury News, 15 Nov. 2024
Tyson has not fought professionally since losing to Kevin McBride in the sixth round in 2005.
—Greg Rosenstein, NBC News, 14 Nov. 2024
Noun
Witnesses and surveillance video footage established that there were multiple fights involving the concerned parties throughout the evening.
—Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
But once the fight ended, Talley said things calmed down and after some time even more people congregated in the parking lot.
—Marquise Francis, NBC News, 12 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for fight
Dictionary Entries Near fight
Cite this Entry
“Fight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fight. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
fight
1 of 2 verb
fought
ˈfȯt
; fighting
; fighting
1
a
: to struggle against another in battle or physical combat
2
: to try hard
fighting to stay awake
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