fist

1 of 2

noun

ˈfist 

1

: the hand clenched with the fingers doubled into the palm and the thumb doubled inward across the fingers

2

: the hand closed as in grasping : clutch

3

: index sense 5

fist

2 of 2

verb

fisted; fisting; fists

transitive verb

1

: to grip with the fist : handle

2

: to clench into a fist

Examples of fist in a Sentence

Noun

He pounded his fist on the table in anger.

She pounded on the door with both fists.

He defiantly shook his fist at the policeman.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Addressing a raucous crowd of 300 supporters on his home reservation on Wednesday, Mr. Peltier, now 80, pumped his right fist repeatedly and displayed remarkable stamina for a partly blind man who needs a walker. —Tailyr Irvine, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2025

Also among the fist actions of President Trump was to rename the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America. —Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 16 Feb. 2025

Verb

Watch baseball, football, or any team sport: Players support each other and strengthen their bonds by interacting with each other in high fives, hands clasping or shaking, fists bumping, pats on the head or back—and even hugs. —Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 17 June 2024

But hockey fights almost always involve mutual, bone-crushing blows, fists jackhammering from powerful shoulders, sometimes fracturing bones, tearing tissue and rattling brains. —David Waldstein, New York Times, 22 Sep. 2023

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Old English fȳst; akin to Old High German fūst fist, Polish pięść, and probably to Old English fīf five

First Known Use

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1607, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing fist

• fist bump
• fist pump
• hand over fist
• mailed fist
• make a good fist of
• make a poor fist of
• rule with an iron fist/hand

Kids Definition

fist

noun

ˈfist

1

: the hand clenched with fingers doubled into the palm

2

: index entry 1 sense 4

Medical Definition

fist

noun

ˈfist 

: the hand clenched with the fingers doubled into the palm and the thumb doubled inward across the fingers