fist

1 of 2

noun

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

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Walking onstage Saturday afternoon in the Mojave tent, Scott Shriner pumped his fist and drew a huge round of cheers from the overflow crowd of several thousands. Mikael Wood, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2025 But in the wake of the deadly midair collision in January, a series of concerning close calls and a fist fight in the tower between employees, the FAA brought in a new management team to the air traffic control tower at Reagan National Airport, CBS News has confirmed. Kris Van Cleave, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2025
Verb
Or fist in the air, in my case. Houston Mitchell, Los Angeles Times, 27 Mar. 2025 The script is often the same: the crowd swells, accusations fly, fists land, and the spectacle is sometimes even filmed. Ismat Ara, TIME, 15 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for fist

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of fist was before the 12th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Fist.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fist. Accessed 24 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

fist

noun
ˈfist
1
: the hand clenched with fingers doubled into the palm
2

Medical Definition

fist

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

More from Merriam-Webster on fist

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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