1
general::
verb in a war/battle ADV. bravely, gallantly, valiantly | bitterly, hard | back, off VERB + FIGHT be prepared to, be ready to He did not believe that the enemy was ready to fight. | continue to PREP. against They fought bravely against the enemy. | alongside fighting alongside his comrades | for They fought for control of the island. | over fighting over disputed land struggle against/hit sb ADV. bitterly, hard | back, off The jeweller was stabbed as he tried to fight the robbers off. VERB + FIGHT be prepared to PREP. against She fought hard against his strong grip. | with Riot police fought with militants demonstrating in support of the uprising. in a contest ADV. bitterly, hard | successfully VERB + FIGHT be determined to, be prepared to, be ready to We need a good manager who is prepared to fight for a fair share of the funds. | continue to PREP. for Regional monopolies were bitterly fought for. PHRASES fiercely/keenly fought The second half was keenly fought, but neither side managed to score. try to stop/achieve sth ADV. hard, like a tiger, tooth and nail (= in a very determined way) He fought hard to overcome his disability. She'll fight like a tiger to protect her children. The residents are fighting tooth and nail to stop the new development. | doggedly, stubbornly, tenaciously | desperately | successfully | back, off It is time to fight back against street crime. VERB + FIGHT be determined to, be prepared to, be ready to, vow to | continue to | help (to) PREP. against They are committed to fighting against racism. | for fighting for equal rights argue ADV. bitterly PREP. about It's a trivial matter and not worth fighting about. | over The children will fight over quite small things. | with He's always fighting with his brother., noun struggle using physical force ADJ. big | fierce, furious | real Suddenly the argument developed into a real fight. | good There's nothing he likes so much as a good fight. | fair It was a fair fight and Stephen won. | free They inadvertently got mixed up in a free fight involving some 20 people. | running He was killed during a series of running fights outside a disco. | stand-up, straight In a straight fight the crusaders usually won; in skirmishes, the Saracens often overcame their more numerous opponents. | pub, street | gang | fist | food, pillow, water | championship, title watching the world title fight between Tyson and Lewis | professional | heavyweight, etc. | bull (also bullfight), cock, dog VERB + FIGHT pick, start He tried to pick a fight with me. I don't know who started the fight. | be looking for, be spoiling for, want Andy was drunk and spoiling for a fight. | be in, get into, get involved in, get mixed up in, have Don't get into any more fights! | break up, stop The fight was broken up by a teacher. | win | lose | watch FIGHT + VERB take place The dog fights took place every Sunday morning. | break out, erupt, start | ensue A fight ensued which left one man dead. PREP. in a/the ~ He killed a man in a fight. | ~ about/over They nearly had a fight over who should move first. | ~ between fights between police and football fans | ~ with They got involved in a fight with some older boys. trying to get/do sth ADJ. brave, good, strong She died at the age of 43 after a brave fight against cancer. | hard, long, real, tough a long fight to beat inflation | bitter, desperate | legal VERB + FIGHT put up Coal workers are determined to put up a fight to save their jobs. | lead, spearhead leading the fight for compensation for the sacked workers | join (in) Doctors have now joined in the fight to make this treatment available to all. | face Now he is facing his toughest fight yet?back to fitness after a series of injuries. | be engaged in He is still engaged in a bitter fight with his old firm. | carry on, continue, keep up She said they would continue their fight to find a cure for Aids. | step up The government has vowed to step up the fight against crime. | take She vowed to take her fight to the High Court. | win | lose Are we losing the fight against illegal drugs? | give up She just gave up her fight for life. FIGHT + VERB be on The fight is on to have this brutal practice stamped out. | continue, go on The fight for justice goes on. PREP. without a ~ I'm not giving up without a fight! | ~ against a new weapon in the fight against car crime | ~ for their fight for a fair deal PHRASES a fight for life/survival the firm's desperate fight for survival in a cut-throat market | have a fight on your hands Union leaders know that they have got a real fight on their hands. competition ADJ. brave, good, great, strong, tremendous | straight VERB + FIGHT put up The team put up a good fight (= they played well) but were finally beaten. FIGHT + VERB be on PREP. ~ between This will be a straight fight between Labour and the Conservatives: the other parties are nowhere. | ~ for The fight for supremacy in the sport is on. PHRASES a fight to the death (figurative) By 1807 politics had become a fight to the death between the two factions. | a fight to the finish If the polls are wrong and it's a fight to the finish, the result may not be known until all the votes have been counted. | have a fight on your hands She now has a fight on her hands (= will have to play very well) to make it through to the next round. | make a fight of it No doubt Ferguson wants his team to make a fight of it.
Oxford Collocations Dictionary
3
general::
Phrase(s): fight (with) someone or something (about someone or something)
to do battle or argue with someone or something about someone or something. • Let’s not fight with each other about this simple matter. • I don’t want to fight with you about this!, Phrase(s): fight (with) someone or some creature (over someone or something)
to fight with someone or an animal over who gets or keeps someone or something. • The terrier fought with the collie over the piece of meat. • I don’t want to fight you over Harry.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs
4
general::
when people hit or attack each other
fight
a situation in which people hit or attack each other because of an argument, or as a sport:
• He had a fight with an older boy. • the famous fight between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman
battle
a fight between opposing armies or groups of people:
• The English king was killed at the Battle of Hastings. • a battle between two rival gangs
scuffle
a short fight that is not very violent:
• There was a short scuffle with the police, but no arrests were made.
punch-up
British English informal a fight in which people hit each other because of an argument:
• The game turned into a punch-up.
brawl
a noisy fight between a group of people:
• He was hurt in a drunken brawl.
altercation
formal a short noisy argument or fight, especially one that is not serious:
• There was a brief altercation and someone called the police.
riot
a fight involving a large number of people, especially people who are protesting about something:
• The book provoked riots all over Europe.
when people try to achieve something
fight
the process in which people try to stop something bad from happening or to improve a situation:
• Schools have an important part to play in the fight against drugs. • women’s fight for equality
battle
a fight to change a situation or deal with a problem in society:
• The battle against racial discrimination is not over.
campaign
a planned series of actions intended to achieve something:
• Motoring organizations started a campaign for safer roads.
struggle
a long, hard fight for freedom, independence, equal rights etc:
• Nkrumah led the people in their struggle for independence.
crusade
someone’s fight against something they think is morally wrong:
• She intends to continue her crusade against sex and violence on TV.
Longman-Thesaurus