To fight means to struggle against someone or something, using physical force, words, or determination. When two students fight on the playground, they might push, hit, or wrestle with each other. When siblings fight over which TV show to watch, they argue and disagree, sometimes loudly. When a doctor fights a disease, she uses medicine and treatment to combat it.

Fighting can be physical combat, like boxers trading punches in a ring or soldiers fighting in a battle. It can also mean working hard against difficult odds: a student might fight to understand a challenging math concept, or a community might fight to save a beloved park from being destroyed. Athletes fight to win championships. Scientists fight cancer.

The word also appears in common phrases. A fight is the struggle itself, whether it's a schoolyard scuffle or a political campaign. When something requires serious effort, people say they have a fight on their hands. When someone loses all hope or energy, they might say the fight has gone out of them.

Notice how the word's meaning changes with context: fighting another person usually creates problems, but fighting for something you believe in, or fighting against injustice or hardship, can show courage and determination.