fighting

Engaged in war or other conflict.

Adjective

  1. Engaged in war or other conflict.
  2. Apt to provoke a fight.
    • It seems like a fighting insult, but he explains. - 1925 April 11, "Books", in The New Yorker, page 26
    • Them's fighting words in my country! - 1947, Hold That Lion! (film)
    • Those are fighting words, of course, and the people who presently hold the high ground of economic power in society will not be amused. - 2003, Marjorie Kelly, The Divine Right of Capital: Dethroning the Corporate...

Origin

From Middle English feghtyng, fyȝtynge, fightand, feghtand, feghtande, feightand, feȝtand, viȝtinde, feihtende, from Old English feohtende, from Proto-Germanic *fehtandz, present participle of Proto-Germanic *fehtaną (“to comb, struggle, contend with”), equivalent to fight + -ing.

Derived

Fighting Bob fighting chance fighting hole fighting little judge fightingly fighting word nonfighting unfighting

Noun

  1. The act or process of contending; violence or conflict.
  2. A fight or battle; an occasion on which people fight
    • Then here the warres end, here our fightings marde, Yet by your leave Ile stand upon my Guard. - 1613, “The Costlie Whore”, in A Collection Of Old English Plays, Vol. IV.:
    • Seid had fallen in the War of Tabuc, the first of Mahomet's fightings with the Greeks. - 1840, Thomas Carlyle, On Heroes and Hero Worship and the Heroic in History:
    • A good many soldiers, and some officers, were present; but the expression of our dissent from all wars and fightings had not displeased them, for they shook hands with US most kindly. - 1860, John Yeardley, Memoir and...

Origin

From Middle English fightyng, fightynge, fiȝtinge, feȝtyng, from Old English fihtung (“fighting”), equivalent to fight + -ing.

Forms

fightings

Derived

antifighting armored combat fighting armored fighting vehicle armoured combat fighting armoured fighting vehicle bullfighting bushfighting cage fighting Chinese fighting stick cockfighting cock-fighting crimefighting fighting chair fighting cock fighting fish fighting fit fighting game fighting irons fighting spirit fighting stick fighting words firefighting fire fighting footfighting

Verb

  1. present participle and gerund of fight