fight

Etymology 1

From Middle English fighten, from Old English feohtan (“to fight, combat, strive”), from Proto-West Germanic *fehtan, from Proto-Germanic *fehtaną (“to comb, tease, shear, struggle with”), from Proto-Indo-European *peḱ- (“to comb, shear”). Cognate with Scots fecht (“to fight”), West Frisian fjochtsje, fjuchte (“to fight”), Dutch vechten (“to fight”), Low German fechten (“to fight”), German fechten (“to fight, fence”), Swedish fäkta (“to fence, to fight (using blade weapons), to wave vigorously (and carelessly) with one's arms”), Latin pectō (“comb, thrash”, verb), Albanian pjek (“to hit, strive, fight”), Ancient Greek πέκω (pékō, “comb or card wool”, verb). Related also to Old English feht (“wool, shaggy pelt, fleece”).

verb

1. Senses relating to physical conflict:
   1. (transitive) To engage in combat with; to oppose physically, to contest with.
      My grandfather fought the Nazis in World War II.
   2. (transitive) To conduct or engage in (battle, warfare etc.).
      Our soldiers fought the battle just over that hill.
   3. (intransitive) To contend in physical conflict, either singly or in war, battle etc.
      A wounded animal will fight tooth and nail; relentless, savage and murderous.
   4. (reciprocal) To 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. (causative, archaic) To cause to fight; to manage or manoeuvre in a fight.
      to fight cocks; to fight one's ship
2. (intransitive) To strive for something; to campaign or contend for success.
   He fought for the Democrats in the last election.
   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. Lincoln, chapter 7, in Mr. Pratt's Patients
   [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. 2014-07-05, “Freedom fighter”, in The Economist, volume 412, number 8894
3. (transitive) To try to overpower; to fiercely counteract.
   The government pledged to fight corruption.
   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. (intransitive) Of 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

Etymology 2

From Middle English fight, feyght, fiȝt, fecht, from Old English feoht, ġefeoht, from Proto-West Germanic *fehtan, from Proto-Germanic *fehtą, *gafehtą (“fight, struggle”), from Proto-Germanic *fehtaną (“to struggle with”). Cognate with Dutch gevecht, German Gefecht.

noun

1. An occasion of fighting.
   One of them got stuck in a chokehold and got stabbed to death during the fight.
2. (archaic) A battle between opposing armies.
3. A physical confrontation or combat between two or more people or groups.
   Watch your language! Are you looking for a fight?
4. (sports) A boxing or martial arts match.
   I'm going to Nick’s to watch the big fight tomorrow night.
5. A conflict, possibly nonphysical, with opposing ideas or forces; strife.
   I'll put up a fight to save this company.
   ‘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
   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. 2013-08-10, “A new prescription”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848
6. (uncountable) The 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. (obsolete) A screen for the combatants in ships; an arming.