1
: designed, intended, or trained to fight in combat
a fighting ship
a powerful fighting force
fighting men
2
: fit to fight
a boxer in fighting condition
3
: having or showing a readiness to fight : aggressive
What he does is break down the fighting spirit, not to mention the bodies, of his opponents.—
The New York Times
see also fighting chance, fighting word
The New York TimesExamples of fighting in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
But the computer model couldn’t distinguish fighting roosters from non-fighting roosters.
—Jeff Horwitz, WSJ, 17 Oct. 2021
Some had joined Ukrainian combat units as volunteers, while others have sought to assist the Ukrainian people in non-fighting capacities.
—Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Jeff Horwitz, WSJ, 17 Oct. 2021
Some had joined Ukrainian combat units as volunteers, while others have sought to assist the Ukrainian people in non-fighting capacities.
—Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, 4 Feb. 2023
Dictionary Entries Near fighting
Cite this Entry
“Fighting.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fighting. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share