1
as in battles
to oppose (someone) in physical conflict
a proud people who have fiercely fought all invaders of their homeland
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in opposes
to strive to reduce or eliminate
a civil rights leader who dedicated his life to fighting prejudice
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in competes
to engage in a contest
everyone on that street seems to be fighting to see who can create the gaudiest holiday lighting display
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in bickers
to express different opinions about something often angrily
if you kids continue to fight, I'm turning this car around and we're heading back home!
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in resists
to refuse to give in to
I tried to fight the temptation to eat another cookie—and lost
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in skirmishes
a physical dispute between opposing individuals or groups
a troubled youth who got into one fight after another
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in struggles
a forceful effort to reach a goal or objective
the mayoral candidate pledged to lead a successful fight to improve the city's schools
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in altercations
an often noisy or angry expression of differing opinions
the couple have their share of fights, but they quickly get over them
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of fights
Brent Lang, Variety, 17 May 2026
Jamie fights him off pretty easily and Ferguson is taken prisoner.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Maya fights any legislation coming from California legislators that allows school districts to make fundamental decisions about your children without your knowledge, input or consent.
—Dan Summers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 May 2026
From player fights to bizarre news conferences, arguably the world’s biggest soccer team has been buffeted from one attention-grabbing revelation to another.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 13 May 2026
The winter stretched before us with dinner parties to host, movies to go to, and fights to be had with my father about this and that.
—Literary Hub, 8 May 2026
Welcome to one of the most expensive ballot fights this election cycle.
—Sacbee.com, 8 May 2026
Even as the county fights to preserve services amid ongoing fiscal struggles, the budget cuts could lead to closures in behavioral health clinics and potential delays to some healthcare.
—Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 2 May 2026
The shooting comes as the NYPD fights teen gun violence.
—Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 2 May 2026
CBS News, 17 May 2026
The biggest issue with these Netflix stunt-fights, aside from the age and condition of the fighters, is that the main event takes forever to start.
—Marlow Stern, Variety, 17 May 2026
Despaigne walked in having lost his last two MMA fights.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Rousey famously won eight fights in less than a minute during her meteoric rise through MMA in the 2010s.
—ABC News, 17 May 2026
Instead, guests got into multiple fights and the local sheriff had to be called in to restore order.
—Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 May 2026
Spread by social media flyers or mass messages beforehand, the takeovers have on occasion spiraled into chaos, with reports of fights, robberies, gunshots and general disruption.
—Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 9 May 2026
Those who have watched can provide emphatic anecdotes and recollections of arguments, fights, supreme trash talking and table antics that can lead to an unexpected level of intensity.
—Terrance Moore, New York Times, 9 May 2026
The project is particularly acrimonious, drawing out geographical battles between north and south and thorny fights between officials who want to build the tunnel and environmentalists and Delta residents seeking to protect the local ecosystem and their way of life.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
Verb
His wife, Elizabeth, fights to hold things together at all costs, while their daughter, Jenna, confronts the collapse of her aspirations to attend Juilliard.
—Brent Lang, Variety, 17 May 2026
Jamie fights him off pretty easily and Ferguson is taken prisoner.
—Erik Kain, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Maya fights any legislation coming from California legislators that allows school districts to make fundamental decisions about your children without your knowledge, input or consent.
—Dan Summers, San Diego Union-Tribune, 13 May 2026
From player fights to bizarre news conferences, arguably the world’s biggest soccer team has been buffeted from one attention-grabbing revelation to another.
—Ben Church, CNN Money, 13 May 2026
The winter stretched before us with dinner parties to host, movies to go to, and fights to be had with my father about this and that.
—Literary Hub, 8 May 2026
Welcome to one of the most expensive ballot fights this election cycle.
—Sacbee.com, 8 May 2026
Even as the county fights to preserve services amid ongoing fiscal struggles, the budget cuts could lead to closures in behavioral health clinics and potential delays to some healthcare.
—Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 2 May 2026
The shooting comes as the NYPD fights teen gun violence.
—Kerry Burke, New York Daily News, 2 May 2026
Noun
The ultimate goal, organizers said, is to win more elections, sway policy fights and protect diverse political representation at all levels.
—CBS News, 17 May 2026
The biggest issue with these Netflix stunt-fights, aside from the age and condition of the fighters, is that the main event takes forever to start.
—Marlow Stern, Variety, 17 May 2026
Despaigne walked in having lost his last two MMA fights.
—Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Rousey famously won eight fights in less than a minute during her meteoric rise through MMA in the 2010s.
—ABC News, 17 May 2026
Instead, guests got into multiple fights and the local sheriff had to be called in to restore order.
—Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 16 May 2026
Spread by social media flyers or mass messages beforehand, the takeovers have on occasion spiraled into chaos, with reports of fights, robberies, gunshots and general disruption.
—Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 9 May 2026
Those who have watched can provide emphatic anecdotes and recollections of arguments, fights, supreme trash talking and table antics that can lead to an unexpected level of intensity.
—Terrance Moore, New York Times, 9 May 2026
The project is particularly acrimonious, drawing out geographical battles between north and south and thorny fights between officials who want to build the tunnel and environmentalists and Delta residents seeking to protect the local ecosystem and their way of life.
—Ian James, Los Angeles Times, 8 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for fights
Verb
-
An introverted young boxer with incredible ability and skill who battles to overcome low confidence, high anxiety and stage fright in pursuit of her potential.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
19 May 2026
-
The many action sequences in which Mando battles water monsters and takes down land vehicles reminiscent of Imperial walkers give you a jolt.—
James Hibberd,
HollywoodReporter,
19 May 2026
Verb
-
Hezbollah opposes Lebanon’s direct negotiations with Israel and has not been part of the talks.—
Sheikh Saaliq,
Chicago Tribune,
16 May 2026
-
Hezbollah opposes Lebanon's direct negotiations with Israel and has not been part of the talks.—
SHEIKH SAALIQ,
Arkansas Online,
16 May 2026
Verb
-
Quilting competes with my writing—there are, after all, only so many hours in a day—but like reading it also complements it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
19 May 2026
-
Ryan Rollins was one of the only bright spots from Milwaukee’s season, providing great value as a playmaker and shooter who competes defensively and has a nose for the ball.—
Law Murray,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
Verb
-
The pope, played by Samora la Perdida, is a mincing oaf who bickers with Galas about the value of translating Wagner.—
Jackson McHenry,
Vulture,
19 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
If a creature is small enough to swallow and not spiny or sticky or otherwise resists Yoshi's tongue, it will be turned into a green egg that's the series standard.—
Will Greenwald,
PC Magazine,
19 May 2026
-
Since the passive material resists this contraction, the mismatch forces the filament to bend, curl, twist, or coil.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
19 May 2026
Noun
-
Tempers flared between the teams, leading to a couple of skirmishes.—
Adam Thompson,
CBS News,
18 May 2026
-
Here are some photos from the second of three skirmishes in this always entertaining Show Me State clash.—
Jeff Rosen,
Kansas City Star,
16 May 2026
Noun
-
Those struggles can manifest in a range of ways, McClanahan said, from finding new coping mechanisms to replace food to ongoing body image concerns, even after weight loss.—
Stephanie Anderson Witmer,
Health,
14 May 2026
-
During the meeting, teams spoke about their struggles to support their travel to competitions.—
Katie Servas,
Hartford Courant,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Charles Melton plays an American GI named Private K who’s trying to locate his daughter and keeps getting into bloody altercations.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
20 May 2026
-
The cases stemmed from a series of allegations, each made that the other acted violently in a series of altercations that month.—
Becca Longmire,
PEOPLE,
15 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Fights.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/fights. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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