1
: a fight between dogs
broadly
: a fiercely disputed contest
2
: a fight between two or more fighter planes usually at close quarters
dogfight
intransitive verb
Synonyms
Examples of dogfight in a Sentence
He was shot down in a dogfight over enemy territory.
The election has turned into a real dogfight.
Recent Examples on the Web
The Dodgers have been in a dogfight with San Diego and Arizona for the division all summer, so Roberts hasn’t had the luxury of giving Lux a longer leash against left-handers.
—
Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2024
Harris and Trump in a ‘dogfight’ in the election’s final stretch
Former President Donald Trump; Vice President Kamala Harris.
—Kaylah Jackson, NBC News, 3 Sep. 2024
The two compelling actors play herders struggling to get by in the muddy hills of west Ireland, where a longtime feud between their families degenerates into an all-out dogfight (or is that a sheep-fight?).
—Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
The Zero had proved more maneuverable than Allied planes, so engineers built a Frankenstein-like replica and sent it on mock dogfights over Brisbane, to reveal the Zero’s strengths and weaknesses, including how to outmaneuver it by maintaining higher speed and altitude.
—Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dogfight 
Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2024
Harris and Trump in a ‘dogfight’ in the election’s final stretch
Former President Donald Trump; Vice President Kamala Harris.
—Kaylah Jackson, NBC News, 3 Sep. 2024
The two compelling actors play herders struggling to get by in the muddy hills of west Ireland, where a longtime feud between their families degenerates into an all-out dogfight (or is that a sheep-fight?).
—Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
The Zero had proved more maneuverable than Allied planes, so engineers built a Frankenstein-like replica and sent it on mock dogfights over Brisbane, to reveal the Zero’s strengths and weaknesses, including how to outmaneuver it by maintaining higher speed and altitude.
—Tony Perrottet, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dogfight
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dogfight.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Dogfight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dogfight. Accessed 29 Sep. 2024.
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