What does "fighting" mean?

1. (violence or conflict) the act of people using physical force or weapons against each other. 2. (engaged in war) involved in a war or a physical struggle. 3. (ready to fight) showing a strong desire to win or to argue.

fighting — meaning, definition & examples

Word

01violence or conflict

B1 · Intermediate Uncountable noun

n. the act of people using physical force or weapons against each other.

n. the act of engaging in physical violence or armed conflict, ranging from small scuffles to large-scale warfare.

“The fighting in the city center finally stopped after the police arrived.”

“Heavy fighting broke out along the border despite the recent peace talks, forcing thousands of civilians to flee their homes.”

Synonyms

conflict combat violence

Antonyms

peace truce

02engaged in war

B2 · Upper Intermediate

adj. involved in a war or a physical struggle.

adj. actively engaged in combat or military operations.

“The fighting forces were exhausted after weeks of travel.”

“The general ordered the fighting units to retreat to a more defensible position before the winter storms arrived.”

Synonyms

combative warring

Antonyms

peaceful

03ready to fight

B2 · Upper Intermediate

adj. showing a strong desire to win or to argue.

adj. displaying a determined, aggressive, or competitive spirit.

“The team was in a fighting mood before the championship game.”

“Despite the poor polling numbers, the candidate maintained a fighting spirit throughout the final week of the campaign.”

Synonyms

aggressive determined feisty

Antonyms

passive submissive

Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “fighting” in context.

Verb

01. break out in fighting

“The protest was peaceful at first, but it soon broke out in fighting.”

verb + prep + noun

02. stop the fighting

“The two countries signed a peace treaty to finally stop the fighting.”

verb + noun

Adjective

03. fierce fighting

“Fierce fighting between the two gangs lasted for several hours.”

adj + noun

04. heavy fighting

“There has been heavy fighting reported near the border since yesterday morning.”

adj + noun

Noun

05. end of the fighting

“Families are hoping for a quick end of the fighting so they can return home.”

noun + of + noun

06. street fighting

“The army was trained specifically for street fighting in narrow city alleys.”

noun + noun

Preposition

07. involved in fighting

“Several young men were arrested for being involved in fighting outside the stadium.”

prep + noun

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.