n. 25B6; verb
two men were fighting : BRAWL, exchange blows, attack/assault each other, hit/punch each other; struggle, grapple, wrestle; informal scrap, have a dust-up, have a set-to; Brit. informal have a punch-up; N. Amer. informal rough-house; Austral./NZ informal stoush, go the knuckle.
he fought in the First World War : (DO) BATTLE, go to war, take up arms, be a soldier; engage, meet, clash, skirmish.
a war fought for freedom : ENGAGE IN, wage, conduct, prosecute, undertake.
they are always fighting : QUARREL, argue, row, bicker, squabble, fall out, have a row/fight, wrangle, be at odds, disagree, differ, have words, bandy words, be at each other's throats, be at loggerheads; informal scrap; archaic altercate.
fighting against wage reductions : CAMPAIGN, strive, battle, struggle, contend, crusade, agitate, lobby, push, press.
they will fight the decision : OPPOSE, contest, contend with, confront, challenge, combat, dispute, quarrel with, argue against/with, strive against, struggle against.
Donaldson fought the urge to put his tongue out : REPRESS, restrain, suppress, stifle, smother, hold back, fight back, keep in check, curb, control, rein in, choke back; informal keep the lid on, cork up.
25B6; noun
a fight outside a club : BRAWL, fracas, melee, rumpus, skirmish, sparring match, struggle, scuffle, altercation, scrum, clash, disturbance; fisticuffs; informal scrap, dust-up, set-to, shindy, shindig; Brit. informal punch-up, bust-up, ruck; N. Amer. informal rough house, brannigan; Austral./NZ informal stoush; Law, dated affray; rare broil.
a heavyweight fight : BOXING MATCH, bout, match.
Britain's fight against Germany : BATTLE, engagement, clash, conflict, struggle; war, campaign, crusade, action, hostilities.
a fight with my girlfriend : ARGUMENT, quarrel, squabble, row, wrangle, disagreement, falling-out, contretemps, altercation, dispute; informal tiff, spat, scrap, slanging match; Brit. informal barney, ding-dong, bust-up.
their fight for control of the company : STRUGGLE, battle, campaign, push, effort.
she had no fight left in her : WILL TO RESIST, resistance, spirit, courage, pluck, pluckiness, grit, strength, backbone, determination, resolution, resolve, resoluteness, aggression, aggressiveness; informal guts, spunk; Brit. informal bottle; N. Amer. informal sand, moxie.
25A0; fight back
use your pent-up anger to fight back : RETALIATE, counter-attack, strike back, hit back, respond, reciprocate, return fire, give tit for tat; formal requite something.
she fought back tears. : See fight verb sense 7.
25A0; fight someone/something off REPEL, repulse, beat off/back, ward off, fend off, keep/hold at bay, drive away/back, force back.
25A0; fight shy of FLINCH FROM, demur from, recoil from; have scruples about, have misgivings about, have qualms about, be averse to, be chary of, be loath to, be reluctant to, be disinclined to, be afraid to, hesitate to, baulk at; informal boggle at; archaic disrelish.