Fighter: The Person, the Aircraft, and the Compliment
A fighter is someone who fights, an aircraft built for combat, and a word of praise for anyone who refuses to give in.
A fighter is anyone who fights: a boxer, a soldier, a campaigner. Two special uses have grown out of that. In aviation, a fighter is an aircraft designed to attack other aircraft rather than ground targets. And in hospitals and obituaries, calling someone a fighter is the highest ordinary praise English offers.
- A person who fights. *A professional fighter.*
- A determined person. *She is a fighter.*
- A combat aircraft. *Fighter jets scrambled.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | fighter | A young fighter. |
| Plural | fighters | Two fighters. |
| Verb | fight | They fight tonight. |
| Past | fought | They fought hard. |
| Compound | firefighter | A retired firefighter. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The fighter defended his title on points.Boxing use.
- Two fighters escorted the airliner.Aircraft, and always plural in this sort of report.
- Do not count her out; she is a fighter.A compliment about character.
Types of military aircraft
- Fighter — built to engage other aircraft
- Bomber — built to attack targets on the ground
- Fighter-bomber — does both, less well than either
- Interceptor — a fast fighter for stopping incoming aircraft
- Trainer — a two-seat aircraft for teaching pilots
From Old English *feohtere*, from *feohtan*, to fight. The aircraft sense dates from the First World War, when aeroplanes first began attacking one another.
Fighter or firefighter?
Firefighter is the modern, neutral job title that replaced fireman. A fighter on its own never means someone who puts out fires.
Fought or fighted?
Fought. The verb is irregular: fight, fought, fought.