fighter

English

MiG-17F jet fighter

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *peḱ-der.

Proto-Germanic *fehtaną

Proto-West Germanic *fehtan

Old English feohtan

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-os?

Proto-Indo-European *-o-

Proto-Indo-European *-so-

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂so-

Proto-Indo-European *-yós

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂s(i)yós

Proto-Italic *-āsijos

Proto-Italic *-āsios

Latin -āriusnom.

Latin -āriusbor.

Proto-Germanic *-ārijaz

Proto-West Germanic *-ārī

Old English -ere

Old English feohtere

Middle English fightere

English fighter

From Middle English fightere, feghtere, from Old English feohtere. Equivalent to fight +‎ -er.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈfaɪ.tə(ɹ)/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈfaɪtɚ/, [ˈfaɪ̯ɾɚ]

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɪtə(ɹ)

Noun

fighter (plural fighters)

1. A person who fights; a combatant.
2. A warrior; a fighting soldier.
3. A pugnacious, competitive person.
4. (eulogistic) A person with a strong determination to resist protracted or severe adversity, especially illness.
   • 2011, Lenka, Ben H. Allen, “Roll with the Punches”, in Two‎^[1], performed by Lenka:

     Little weapons / Over the phone / They like to threaten / The life that I know / They say "Get over here and get into the ring" / But I'm not really much of a fighter

5. A class of fixed-wing aircraft whose primary purpose is to shoot down other aircraft, sometimes accompanied by a secondary purpose of attacking ground targets.
   1. (science fiction, by extension) A starfighter
      • 1990, Dan Simmons, The Fall of Hyperion, New York: Doubleday, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 32:

        Task Force 42 consisted of almost two dozen main line spinships, including the carriers Olympus Shadow and Neptune Station. Each of these can launch more than a hundred fighters or ALRs.

      • 2007 September 25, Bungie, Halo 3, Microsoft Game Studios, Xbox 360, level/area: Terminal Six (Legendary):

        I toss around [37,654 tonne] dreadnoughts like they were fighters; dimly aware of the former crews being crushed to liquescence.

6. A participant in boxing or any martial art.
7. (colloquial) A firefighter.
8. (video games) A game with a focus on physical combat.
   • 2004, Simon Carless, Gaming Hacks, page 59:

     Still, it's excellent software, especially for one-on-one fighting titles such as the King Of Fighters series, classic Street Fighter II variants, and newer one-on-one fighters such as Garou.

Synonyms

• warrior, combatant, soldier

Derived terms

• (aircraft): fighter-bomber, fighter-interceptor, fighter plane, foo fighter, fighter jet, night fighter, stealth fighter, strike fighter

• booze fighter
• bullfighter
• bushfighter
• cage fighter
• choose one's fighter
• cockfighter
• copyfighter
• crimefighter
• crime fighter
• crime-fighter
• deadline fighter
• fighter ace
• fighter aircraft
• fighter bomber
• fighteress
• fighter pilot
• fire fighter
• fistfighter
• forefighter
• foreign fighter
• freedom fighter
• gunfighter
• jet fighter
• Nerdfighter
• nonfighter
• prize fighter
• prizefighter
• shootfighter
• snowfighter
• stick-fighter
• street fighter
• streetfighter
• swordfighter
• warfighter
• wildfire-fighter
• zero fighter

Translations

person who fights

• Albanian: luftëtar (sq) m
• Arabic: مُبَارِز m (mubāriz), مُقَاتِل (muqātil)
• Aromanian: alumtãtor m
• Bashkir: көрәшсе (küräşsi)
• Belarusian: барацьбі́т m (baracʹbít), змага́р m (zmahár), змага́рка f (zmahárka), барэ́ц m (baréc)
• Bulgarian: боре́ц (bg) m (boréc)
• Catalan: lluitador (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 戰鬥者 / 战斗者 (zh) (zhàndòuzhě)

• Coptic: ⲣⲉϥⲙⲓϣⲓ m (refmiši), ⲁⲅⲱⲛⲓⲑⲉⲧⲏⲥ m (agōnithetēs), ⲣⲉϥϯ m (refti)
• Czech: bojovník (cs) m
• Danish: kriger c, jager (da) c
• Dutch: vechter (nl) m, strijder (nl) m, kamper (nl) m, bestrijder (nl) m
• Esperanto: batalanto
• Estonian: võitleja
• Finnish: taistelija (fi)
• French: combattant (fr) m, lutteur (fr) m
• Friulian: lotadôr m
• Galician: loitador (gl) m
• German: Kämpfer (de) m
• Greek: μαχητής (el) m (machitís)

  Ancient Greek: μαχητής m (makhētḗs)

• Icelandic: bardagamaður m
• Italian: combattente (it) m or f, lottatore (it) m
• Latin: pugnator m, pugnātrix f
• Latvian: cīnītājs m, cīnītāja f
• Marathi: लढवय्या m (laḍhvayyā)
• Middle English: fightere
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: байлдагч (mn) (baildagč), цэрэг (mn) (cereg)

• Polish: wojownik (pl) m, bojownik (pl) m
• Portuguese: lutador (pt) m, lutadora f, combatente (pt) m or f
• Romanian: combatant (ro) m, luptător (ro) m, combatantă f
• Russian: боре́ц (ru) m (boréc)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: бо́рац m, бо̀јо̄внӣк m

  Latin: bórac (sh) m, bòjōvnīk (sh) m

• Sicilian: luttaturi m
• Slovak: bojovník (sk) m
• Slovene: bórec (sl) m, bórka f
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: wójowaŕ m

• Southern Altai: кӱрешчи (kürešči)
• Spanish: guerrero (es), combatiente (es) m, luchador (es) m
• Swedish: kämpe (sv) c, slagskämpe c
• Turkish: dövüşçü (tr)

  Ottoman Turkish: صاواشجی (savaşcı)

• Ukrainian: боре́ць (uk) m (borécʹ)
• Vietnamese: người hiếu chiến
• Welsh: ymladdwr (cy) m
• Yiddish: קעמפֿער m (kemfer)

warrior

• Arabic: مُحَارِب m (muḥārib), مُقَاتِل m (muqātil)
• Belarusian: бае́ц m (bajéc), вая́к m (vaják), во́ін m (vóin)
• Bulgarian: бое́ц (bg) m (boéc)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 戰士 / 战士 (zh) (zhànshì), 武士 (zh) (wǔshì)

• Czech: bojovník (cs) m, válečník (cs) m
• Danish: kriger c, stridsmand c
• Dutch: krijger (nl) m, strijder (nl) m, kamper (nl) m
• Estonian: võitleja, sõdalane (et)
• Finnish: soturi (fi)
• French: combattant (fr) m, lutteur (fr) m, guerrier (fr) m
• German: Kämpfer (de) m, Krieger (de) m
• Greek: μαχητής (el) m (machitís), πολεμιστής (el) m (polemistís), αγωνιστής (el) (agonistís)

  Ancient Greek: μαχητής m (makhētḗs), πολεμιστής m (polemistḗs)

• Italian: guerriero (it) m
• Japanese: 戦士 (ja) (せんし, senshi), 武士 (ja) (ぶし, bushi)
• Korean: 싸울아비 (ssaurabi), 전사(戰士) (ko) (jeonsa), 무사(武士) (ko) (musa)
• Latin: bellātor m, bellātrix (la) f
• Latvian: karotājs m, cīnītājs m, karavīrs m
• Macedonian: воин m (voin)
• Marathi: योद्धा m (yoddhā)
• Middle English: fightere
• Mongolian:

  Cyrillic: байлдагч (mn) (baildagč)

• Polish: żołnierz (pl) m
• Portuguese: guerreiro (pt) m, guerreira (pt) f
• Romanian: războinic (ro) m, luptător (ro) m, războinică f
• Russian: бое́ц (ru) m (bojéc), во́ин (ru) m (vóin)
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: ра̏тнӣк m

  Latin: rȁtnīk (sh) m

• Slovak: bojovník (sk) m
• Slovene: bojevnik m, vojščak (sl) m
• Spanish: guerrero (es) m
• Swedish: krigare (sv) c
• Tocharian B: wetāᵤ
• Turkish: savaşçı (tr)

  Ottoman Turkish: صاواشجی (savaşcı)

• Ukrainian: боє́ць (uk) m (bojécʹ), воя́к m (voják), во́їн m (vójin)
• Vietnamese: quân nhân (vi)
• Yiddish: קעמפֿער m (kemfer)

pugnacious, competitive person

• Dutch: vechter (nl) m, kamper (nl) m
• Estonian: võistleja, taidleja
• Finnish: taistelija (fi)
• French: battant (fr) m
• German: Kämpfer (de) m
• Greek: αγωνιστής (el) m (agonistís)
• Middle English: fightere
• Polish: wojownicza osoba f
• Portuguese: lutador (pt) m, lutadora f
• Romanian: luptător (ro) m, persoană combativă f, persoană bătăioasă f
• Russian: бое́ц (ru) m (bojéc)
• Swedish: kämpe (sv) c

aircraft type

• Armenian: կործանիչ (hy) (korcaničʻ)
• Belarusian: знішча́льнік (be) m (zniščálʹnik)
• Bulgarian: изтреби́тел (bg) m (iztrebítel)
• Catalan: caça (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 戰鬥機 / 战斗机 (zh) (zhàndòujī)

• Czech: stíhačka (cs) f, stíhací letoun m
• Danish: kampfly n, jagerfly (da) n
• Dutch: gevechtsvliegtuig (nl) n, jachtvliegtuig (nl) n, jager (nl) m
• Estonian: hävitaja, hävituslennuk
• Finnish: hävittäjä (fi)
• French: chasseur (fr)
• German: Jäger (de) m, Jagdflugzeug (de) n
• Italian: caccia (it) m
• Marathi: लढाऊ विमान n (laḍhāū vimān)
• Navajo: chidí naatʼaʼí dilwoʼí
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: jagerfly n, kampfly n

  Nynorsk: jagarfly n, kampfly n

• Persian: جنگنده (fa) (jangande)
• Polish: myśliwiec (pl), samolot myśliwski m
• Portuguese: caça (pt)
• Romanian: avion de luptă n, avion de vânătoare n
• Russian: истреби́тель (ru) m (istrebítelʹ)
• Slovak: stíhacie lietadlo n
• Slovene: lovsko letalo n
• Spanish: caza (es)
• Swedish: jaktflygplan (sv) n
• Turkish: avçı uçağı
• Ukrainian: вини́щувач m (vynýščuvač)

boxer — see boxer

participant in a martial art

• Bulgarian: бое́ц (bg) m (boéc)
• Czech: fighter (cs) m (colloquial), fighterka f (colloquial)
• Dutch: vechter (nl) m, vechtsporter m, kamper (nl) m, kampvechter (nl) m
• Estonian: võitleja, kakleja
• Finnish: kamppailija (fi)
• Pannonian Rusyn: боритель m (boritelʹ), борец m (borec)
• Portuguese: lutador (pt) m, lutadora f
• Romanian: luptător (ro) m, luptătoare (ro) f
• Russian: боре́ц (ru) m (boréc), бое́ц (ru) m (bojéc)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• Woiwurrung: ^{(please verify)} koonòmoon

See also

• combatant

Anagrams

• freight, refight

Middle English

Noun

fighter

1. (West Riding) alternative form of fightere

Swedish

Noun

fighter

1. indefinite plural of fight