fought

Fought is the past tense and past participle of the verb fight in English. It describes engaging in physical combat, competing in a contest, or struggling against something, whether in a literal sense or as a metaphor for nonphysical effort.

As an irregular verb, fight's past forms do not end with -ed. The base form is fight; the present tense is fights, and the past tense and past participle are fought. These forms are used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses, for example: "they have fought many battles," "she had fought through adversity."

Etymology and scope: Fought derives from Old English feohtan, with cognates in other Germanic languages. Over time, the sense broadened from physical combat to include nonviolent struggles, such as debates, lawsuits, political campaigns, or efforts against illness.

Usage notes: In narratives, fought often marks completed conflicts. It is commonly followed by prepositions such as against, for, or with, depending on the object of the struggle: "fought against the invaders," "fought for equality," "fought with every resource available."

Examples: The two teams fought to a draw. Historians describe the century as one fought for independence. She had fought cancer for years.