fight
gb/fˈaɪt/ us/fˈaɪt/
A2
English
~ 2500
Senses
0 senses
Verb
A2
action
1
Engage in physical combat
To hit, kick, or use force against someone or something to win or protect yourself.
Usage pattern:
to fight [someone/something]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'fight' with 'argue'; 'fight' usually involves physical force, while 'argue' is verbal.
Synonyms
battle (Often used for large-scale or organized combat rather than individual fights.)
Antonyms
surrender (To give up instead of resisting or fighting.)
Collocations
fight back
|fight off
|fight for
|fight against
|fight hard
Themes
conflict
|sports
|violence
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The two men began to fight in the street.
- Soldiers fought bravely to defend the city.
- She fought her attacker until help arrived.
- They had to fight to gain control of the ball.
Learner examples
- The boys fight in the park.
- The army will fight the enemy.
- He fights with his brother a lot.
- We must fight to win.
Verb
B1
action
2
Try to stop something bad
To work hard to stop something bad from happening or continuing.
Usage pattern:
to fight [problem/disease/injustice]
Common mistake:
Some learners only associate 'fight' with physical action and forget it can mean resisting problems or conditions.
Synonyms
combat (More formal; often used for organized efforts against problems.)
Antonyms
accept (To allow something bad to happen without resistance.)
Collocations
fight cancer
|fight crime
|fight for justice
|fight poverty
Themes
social issues
|health
|personal effort
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- Doctors are fighting the spread of the disease.
- She has fought discrimination her whole life.
- The community is fighting for better schools.
Learner examples
- We fight the fire together.
- He fights the cold every winter.
- They fight for clean air.
Noun
A2
event
3
A violent physical struggle
A time when people or animals hit or hurt each other.
Synonyms
brawl (A noisy, rough fight, often in public.)
Antonyms
peace (A state without fighting or conflict.)
Collocations
get into a fight
|street fight
|win a fight
|lose a fight
Themes
conflict
|violence
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- There was a fight outside the bar last night.
- Two players got into a fight during the game.
- The fight lasted only a few minutes.
Learner examples
- I saw a fight at school.
- The dogs had a fight.
- He won the fight.
Noun
B1
action
4
Determined effort against difficulty
Trying very hard to do something difficult.
Synonyms
struggle (Focuses more on difficulty than on opposition.)
Antonyms
compliance (Agreeing without resistance.)
Collocations
put up a fight
|the fight for freedom
|join the fight
Themes
personal effort
|motivation
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- She put up a good fight against the illness.
- The campaign was part of the larger fight for civil rights.
- Despite the odds, they never gave up the fight.
Learner examples
- He is in a fight for his life.
- They are in a fight for justice.
- We join the fight for clean water.
Grammar
Dictionary form
fight
IPA
GB/fˈaɪt/
US/fˈaɪt/
Syllables & stress
fight (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (fight)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: fight
- Plural: fight, fights
Verb
- Base: fight
- 3rd Person Singular: fights
- Present Participle: fighting
- Past: fought
- Past Participle: fought
Word family
Forms
fights
noun
fighting
verb
fought
verb
Core family
fighter
noun B1
Related words
battle
noun B1
Highlights
- Irregular past: fought Verb
- Irregular past participle: fought Verb
Expressions
fight back
1/fˈaɪt bˈæk/
phrasal verb
Defend yourself actively
To try to stop someone or something that is hurting you by hitting, arguing, or working against it.
Examples
- When attacked, she fought back fiercely.
- He fought back against the unfair accusations.
fight for your life
1/fˈaɪt fɚ jˈʊɹ lˈaɪf/
fixed phrase
Struggle to survive serious danger
To try very hard not to die or be badly hurt.
Examples
- He was fighting for his life after the accident.
- The climbers fought for their lives in the storm.
fight off
1/fˈaɪt ˈɔf/
phrasal verb
Prevent harm from succeeding
To stop someone or something bad from hurting you or winning.
Examples
- He fought off three attackers in the alley.
- She’s been fighting off a bad cold all week.
put up a fight
1/pˈʊt ˈʌp ə fˈaɪt/
idiom
Show strong resistance
To try very hard not to lose or be defeated.
Examples
- The team put up a good fight but lost in the end.
- She put up a fight when they tried to take her bag.
fight tooth and nail
1/fˈaɪt tˈuθ ˈænd nˈeɪl/
idiom
informal
Try extremely hard to win/achieve
To do everything you can to win or stop something from happening.
Examples
- They fought tooth and nail to protect their home.
- She fought tooth and nail for her children’s rights.
fight tooth and nail
2/fˈaɪt tˈuθ ˈænd nˈeɪl/
idiom
informal
Fight very hard for something
To fight very strongly to achieve something or stop something from happening.
Examples
- They fought tooth and nail to protect their land.
- She fought tooth and nail for her rights.
fight tooth and nail
3/fˈaɪt tˈuθ ˈænd nˈeɪl/
idiom
fight very hard for something
To try extremely hard to get something or to stop something from happening.
Examples
- They fought tooth and nail to keep their business open.
- The players are fighting tooth and nail for a place in the team.
- Residents are fighting tooth and nail against the new development.