fight
Engage in physical combat
To hit, kick, or use force against someone or something to win or protect yourself.
to fight [someone/something]
- 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.
- The boys fight in the park.
- The army will fight the enemy.
- He fights with his brother a lot.
- We must fight to win.
Try to stop something bad
To work hard to stop something bad from happening or continuing.
to fight [problem/disease/injustice]
- Doctors are fighting the spread of the disease.
- She has fought discrimination her whole life.
- The community is fighting for better schools.
- We fight the fire together.
- He fights the cold every winter.
- They fight for clean air.
A violent physical struggle
A time when people or animals hit or hurt each other.
- 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.
- I saw a fight at school.
- The dogs had a fight.
- He won the fight.
Determined effort against difficulty
Trying very hard to do something difficult.
- 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.
- He is in a fight for his life.
- They are in a fight for justice.
- We join the fight for clean water.
- Base: fight
- Plural: fight, fights
- Base: fight
- 3rd Person Singular: fights
- Present Participle: fighting
- Past: fought
- Past Participle: fought
- Irregular past: fought Verb
- Irregular past participle: fought Verb
fight back
1Defend yourself actively
To try to stop someone or something that is hurting you by hitting, arguing, or working against it.
- When attacked, she fought back fiercely.
- He fought back against the unfair accusations.
fight for your life
1Struggle to survive serious danger
To try very hard not to die or be badly hurt.
- He was fighting for his life after the accident.
- The climbers fought for their lives in the storm.
fight off
1Prevent harm from succeeding
To stop someone or something bad from hurting you or winning.
- He fought off three attackers in the alley.
- She’s been fighting off a bad cold all week.
put up a fight
1Show strong resistance
To try very hard not to lose or be defeated.
- 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
1Try extremely hard to win/achieve
To do everything you can to win or stop something from happening.
- They fought tooth and nail to protect their home.
- She fought tooth and nail for her children’s rights.
fight tooth and nail
2Fight very hard for something
To fight very strongly to achieve something or stop something from happening.
- They fought tooth and nail to protect their land.
- She fought tooth and nail for her rights.
fight tooth and nail
3fight very hard for something
To try extremely hard to get something or to stop something from happening.
- 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.