fight

present singular third person fights · participle present fighting · past fought · dated past fit · participle past fought · dated participle past fit · archaic participle past foughten · first person past singular fought · archaic present second person singular fightest · past second person singular fought · archaic past second person singular foughtest · present singular third person fights · archaic present singular third person fighteth · past singular third person fought · past plural fought · past subjunctive fought

1. Senses relating to physical conflict:
   1. transitiveTo engage in combat with; to oppose physically, to contest with.

      My grandfather fought the Nazis in World War II.

   2. transitiveTo conduct or engage in (battle, warfare, a cause, etc.).

      Our soldiers fought the battle just over that hill.

      4 more examples

      I have fought a good fight.

      1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 2 Timothy 4:7

      Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.

      1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, 1 Timothy 6:12

      His Suff’rings ſhine, and ſpread a Glory round him; Greatly unfortunate, he fights the Cauſe Of Honour, Virtue, Liberty, and Rome.

      1712 (date written), [Joseph] Addison, Cato, a Tragedy. […], London: […] J[acob] Tonson, […], published 1713, →OCLC, Act I, scene i, page 2

      was left to fight his way through the world.

      1856 December, [Thomas Babington] Macaulay, “Samuel Johnson”, in T[homas] F[lower] E[llis], editor, The Miscellaneous Writings and Speeches of Lord Macaulay, new edition, London: Longman, Green, Reader, & Dyer, published 1871, →OCLC

   3. intransitiveTo contend in physical conflict, either singly or in war, battle, etc.

      A wounded animal will fight tooth and nail; relentless, savage and murderous.

   4. reciprocalTo contend in physical conflict with each other, either singly or in war, battle, etc.

      The two boxers have been fighting for more than half an hour.

   5. causativeTo cause to fight; to manage or manoeuvre in a fight.

      to fight cocks; to fight one’s ship

      1 more example

      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.

      1953, Revd. Waldo E. L. Smith, What Time the Tempest: An Army Chaplain's Story, page 244

2. intransitiveTo strive for something; to campaign or contend for success.

   He fought for the Democrats in the last election.

   2 more examples

   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.

   1913, Joseph C[rosby] Lincoln, chapter VII, in Mr. Pratt’s Patients, New York, N.Y.; London: D[aniel] Appleton and Company, →OCLC

   [Edmund] Burke continued to fight for liberty later on in life. He backed Americans in their campaign for freedom from British taxation. He supported Catholic freedoms and freer trade with Ireland, in spite of his constituents’ ire. He wanted more liberal laws on the punishment of debtors.

   2014 July 5, “Freedom fighter”, in The Economist, volume 412, number 8894, archived from the original on 11 Mar 2023

3. transitiveTo try to overpower; to fiercely counteract.

   The government pledged to fight corruption.

   1 more example

   I fought a sneeze as Max took my hand and led me into the chapel.

   2014, Ann Aguirre, The Shape of My Heart, page 42

4. intransitiveOf 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.

   2013, Ian G. Clifton, Android User Interface Design

plural fights

1. countableuncountableAn occasion of fighting.

   One of them got stuck in a chokehold and got stabbed to death during the fight.

2. archaiccountableuncountableA battle between opposing armies.
3. countableuncountableA physical confrontation or combat between two or more people or groups.

   Watch your language! Are you looking for a fight?

4. countableuncountablehobbiesA boxing or martial arts match.

   I’m going to Nick’s to watch the big fight tomorrow night.

5. countableuncountableA conflict, possibly nonphysical, with opposing ideas or forces; strife.

   I’ll put up a fight to save this company.

   2 more examples

   ‘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?

   1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 18, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC

   As the world's drug habit shows, governments are failing in their quest to monitor every London window-box and Andean hillside for banned plants. But even that Sisyphean task looks easy next to the fight against synthetic drugs.

   2013 August 10, “A new prescription”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848, archived from the original on 09 Mar 2023

6. uncountableThe 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.

7. countableobsoleteuncountableA 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, […]

   1673 May (first performance), John Dryden, Amboyna. A Tragedy. […], London: […] T[homas] N[ewcomb] for Henry Herringman, […], published 1673, →OCLC, Act III, page 31