ENGLISH
REFERENCE

fist

n. · v.
US //ˈfɪst// UK //fˈɪst// fist
  1. 1 clenched hand (n.)
    A2 Elementary

    a hand with the fingers curled tightly into the palm.

    the hand with the fingers doubled into the palm and the thumb folded over them, typically for striking or as a gesture of anger or determination.

    Example

    He held the money tightly in his fist so he wouldn't lose it.

    Example

    The protester raised a defiant fist toward the sky, a gesture that was captured by every photographer in the square.
    • clenched hand
  2. 2 an attempt or effort (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate British English Informal

    how well you do something, usually in the phrase 'make a good fist of it'.

    an attempt or performance at a task; almost exclusively used in the idiom 'to make a good/poor fist of something'.

    Example

    It was her first time baking a cake, but she made a good fist of it.

    Example

    Despite having no formal training in accounting, the new manager made a surprisingly good fist of balancing the department's complex budget.
Show 2 more sensesShow fewer
  1. 3 to clench the hand (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate

    to close your hand tightly into a ball.

    to clench the fingers into the palm to form a fist.

    Example

    She fisted her hands in her pockets to keep them warm.

    Example

    He fisted his hands in frustration as he watched the train pull away from the platform just as he reached the gate.
    • unclench
  2. 4 to hit (v.)
    C1 Advanced Literary

    to hit someone or something with a closed hand.

    to strike or punch with the fist; often used in sports or physical altercations.

    Example

    The boxer fisted his opponent's ribs during the final round.

    Example

    In the heat of the argument, he fisted the table so hard that the glasses rattled and the water spilled.
Etymology 1

From Middle English fist, from Old English fȳst (“fist”), from Proto-West Germanic *fūsti, of uncertain origin. Cognates Cognate with Yola fest, hist (“fist”), Saterland Frisian Fäste, Fääste (“fist”), Central Franconian Fuus (“fist”), Cimbrian bòista, vòista (“fist”), Dutch vuist (“fist”), German Faust (“fist”), German Low German Fuust (“fist”), Luxembourgish Fauscht (“fist”), Yiddish פֿויסט (foyst, “fist”). More at five.

Etymology 2

From Middle English fisten, fiesten, from Old English fistan ("to break wind gently"; supported by Old English fisting (“breaking wind”)), from Proto-Germanic fistaz (“breaking wind, fart”), from Proto-Germanic fīsaną (“to break or discharge wind, fart”), from Proto-Indo-European (s)peys- (“to blow, breathe”). Cognate with Dutch veest (“a fart”), Low German fīsten (“to break wind”), German Fist (“a quiet wind”), Fisten (“breaking wind”), Swedish fisa (“to fart”), Latin spīrō (“breathe, blow”).

Idioms4 entries

© 2026 English Reference