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Synonyms

fist

1 American  
[fist] / fɪst /

noun

  1. the hand closed tightly, with the fingers doubled into the palm.

  2. Informal. the hand.

  3. Informal. a person's handwriting.

  4. Printing. index.

verb (used with object)

  1. to make (one's hand) into a fist.

  2. to grasp in the fist.

fist 2 American  
[fahyst] / faɪst /

noun

  1. feist.

fist British  
/ fɪst /

noun

  1. a hand with the fingers clenched into the palm, as for hitting

  2. Also called: fistful.  the quantity that can be held in a fist or hand

  3. an informal word for hand index

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. (tr) to hit with the fist

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
fist Idioms  

  1. see hand over fist.

Etymology

Origin of fist

before 900; Middle English; Old English fȳst; cognate with German Faust fist; perhaps akin to five

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

And your throat hitched up against your will and your eyes moistened and when they started with “USA! USA!” you gave up, gave in, and pumped your fist.

From The Wall Street Journal

Before facing Anthony Joshua in September 2024, he famously banged the table with his fist.

From BBC

Old Rupert was shaking his fist in the miller’s face.

From Literature

There was the raised fist that was once a signal for Magic to pass to Kareem for a skyhook.

From Los Angeles Times

The sight of a beaming Pep Guardiola pumping his fists to all sides of Etihad Stadium then telling his players to indulge in cocktails demonstrated the magnitude of this Manchester City victory.

From BBC

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.