adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from present participle of fighten to fight
1. : designed or intended to fight
a fighting ship
2.
a. : fit to fight
a boxer in fighting condition
b. : that qualifies to fight
a boxer at fighting weight
3.
a.
(1) : prone to fight : warlike
a fighting tribe
(2) : liable to provoke a fight
those are fighting words
b. : showing a readiness to fight : game , plucky
a fighting spirit
• fight·ing·ly adverb