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 Knicks concluded their four-game, eight-day swing with a trip to Atlanta to face the Hawks, and after winning in Miami and Detroit, then losing in Houston, the Knicks found themselves in a dogfight on Wednesday.
—
Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 6 Nov. 2024
The Bucks don’t have any other options outside of continuing to fight, and that is going to be a tough task after playing a knock-down-drag-out dogfight of a game across 53 minutes on Friday.
—Eric Nehm, The Athletic, 27 Apr. 2024
Until offensive coordinators figure out a way to counter Cover 2, fans may want to dial back their appetite for the aerial dogfights that have characterized the last two decades of NFL Sundays.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 27 Sep. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for dogfight 
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Kristian Winfield, New York Daily News, 6 Nov. 2024
The Bucks don’t have any other options outside of continuing to fight, and that is going to be a tough task after playing a knock-down-drag-out dogfight of a game across 53 minutes on Friday.
—Eric Nehm, The Athletic, 27 Apr. 2024
Until offensive coordinators figure out a way to counter Cover 2, fans may want to dial back their appetite for the aerial dogfights that have characterized the last two decades of NFL Sundays.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 27 Sep. 2024
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
See all Example Sentences for dogfight
Dictionary Entries Near dogfight
Cite this Entry
“Dogfight.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dogfight. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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