Meanings
present singular third person infights · participle present infighting · participle past infought · past infought
- intransitiveTo fight with allies or other members of the same group.
And then each group began to infight on some pretext.
1985, Alixa Naff, Becoming American: the early Arab immigrant experience, page 3072 more examples
While Kennedy infought to trim outlays to match resources, critics claimed that the era of the big eleemosynaries had come to an end.
1977 January 10, New York, volume 10, page 58Unfortunately what we have going on in this world against the new Israeli State, is just like what the Arabs do to their own, as they infight, among Muslims, and different nationalities, and sects, just as the many Christians do, and mostly did during the times of the Protestant revolution, and exodus and expulsion.
2008, Anthony Townsend, Nassira Townsend, The Collapse of America: A Ruined State?, →ISBN, page 62 - boxingTo box while extremely close to an opponent
Be prepared to slip and duck his jab to infight or to counter with a quick punch to the head or body.
2004, Mark Hatmaker, Doug Werner, Boxing Mastery: Advanced Technique, Tactics, and Strategies from the Sweet Science, →ISBN, page 2133 more examples
Even if you're giving up reach in order to infight, standing at the end of your opponent's punch (impact position) isn't the way to do it.
2007, Alan Lachica, Doug Werner, Boxing's Ten Commandments, →ISBN, page 29Walker tried hard to close with his opponent, and infight, but by using both hands to good advantage Fus. Scott held his own.
2003, Peter B. Kyne, Captain Scraggs; Or, the Green-Pea Pirates, →ISBN, page 252"In a minute," said the commodore faintly. "He's so good I hate to hurt him. But I'll infight him to a finish."
1929, St. George's Gazette - Volume 47, page 247
plural infights
- An internal battle; a fight with allies or other members of the same group.
The power struggle to establish Kim Il Sung as the sole leader in North Korea took almost a decade, entailing a series of bitter factional infights.
2014, Young Whan Kihl, Hong Nack Kim, North Korea: The Politics of Regime Survival, →ISBN, page 712 more examples
In political terms, the subject of the play is the infight between ultraradical and moderate leftist factions, an infight which has haunted the European leftist movements since the days of the French Revolution.
1982, Burghard Dedner, Carl Sternheim, page 92The German officer, however, made in his new function as Inspector of Army Motorization an enemy who proved equally ruthless on the battlefield as in the arena of bureaucratic infights—Heinz Guderian.
2011, Jörg Muth, Command Culture: Officer Education in the U.S. Army and the German Armed Forces. 1901-1940, and the Consequences for World War II, →ISBN, page 143
Origin
- Old Englishinfiht
- Middle Englishinfighten“to attack”
- Englishinfight
Apparently a back-formation from infighting, perhaps continuing Middle English infighten (“to attack”), from Old English infiht, infeoht (“an attack made upon a person by another in the same house or between members of a household”), equivalent to in- + fight. Compare Middle English infiht (“an internal fight, a brawl within a household”).
More words from Middle English, Old English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Cantonese 窩裡鬥 /窝里斗
- 窩裡鬥 /窝里斗 (wo¹ leoi⁵ dau³)fight with allies
Chinese Mandarin 窩裡鬥 /窝里斗
- 窩裡鬥 /窝里斗 (wōlidòu)fight with allies
Cite this entry
infight. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/infight
“infight.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/infight. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “infight,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/infight.
Source: infight on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.