fight to the finish Definition

fight
verb fought, fighting

tr & intr
1. To attack or engage (an enemy, army, etc) in combat.
2. To take part in or conduct (a battle, campaign, etc).
tr & intr
3. To oppose them (eg an enemy, a person, an illness, a cause, etc) vigorously.

Form: fight against something (sometimes)
Form: fight against someone
intr
4. To quarrel; to disagree, sometimes coming to blows.

Example: They fought all evening
Thesaurus: squabble, altercate, grapple, lock horns, argue, clash, exchange blows, dispute, quarrel, spar.
intr
5. To struggle or campaign on its or their behalf; to struggle or campaign in an attempt to achieve or maintain it.

Example: fight for the right to remain silent
Thesaurus: campaign, argue, work, petition, proselytize, pull strings, lobby.
Form: fight for something (often)
Form: fight for someone
intr
6. To make (one's way) with a struggle.

noun

1. A battle; a physically violent struggle.

Thesaurus: skirmish, scuffle, hostilities, fracas, conflict, combat, brawl, duel, battle, bout, scrap.
2. A quarrel; a dispute; a contest.
3. Resistance.
4. The will or strength to resist.

Example: lost all his fight
5. A boxing-match.
6. A campaign or crusade.

Example: the fight for freedom

Idiom: fight a losing battle

To continue trying for something when there is little chance of succeeding.
Example: She was fighting a losing battle against the illness

Idiom: fighting fit

colloq
In vigorous health.

Idiom: fight it out

To fight over something until one side wins.

Idiom: fight shy of something

To avoid it.

Idiom: fight to the finish

To fight until completely exhausted.

Etymology: Anglo-Saxon feohtan.

Phrasal Verb: fight back

To resist an attacker; to counter an attack.

Phrasal Verb: fight something back or down

To try not to show one's emotions, etc.

Phrasal Verb: fight someone off

To repulse them (especially an attacker).

Phrasal Verb: fight something off

To get rid of or resist (an illness).

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finish
verb finished, finishing

tr & intr
1. To bring something to an end, or come to an end; to reach a natural conclusion.

Thesaurus: end, complete, culminate, conclude, finalize.
2. To complete or perfect something.

Thesaurus: complete, accomplish, consummate, perfect.
3. To use, eat, drink, etc the last of something.

Example: I've finished the coffee
intr
4. To reach or end up in a certain position or situation.
5. To give a particular treatment to the surface of (cloth, wood, etc).

Thesaurus: polish, wax, stain, buff, burnish, coat, lacquer, hone, gild, veneer.

noun

1. The last stage; the end.

Thesaurus: end, close, termination, completion, culmination, windup, cessation, denouement.
2. The last part of a race, etc.
3. Perfecting touches put to a product.
4. The surface texture given to cloth, wood, etc.

Thesaurus: polish, shine, gloss, lustre, patina, glaze, burnish.

Derivative: finisher
noun

Idiom: fight to the finish

To fight till one party is dead or so severely disabled that they are unable to continue.

Etymology: 14c as fenys: from Latin finire to end.

Phrasal Verb: finish someone or something off

To exhaust them emotionally or physically.
Example: His emotional blackmailing really finished me off last night
To defeat or kill them.
Example: The lion finished the buffalo off

Phrasal Verb: finish with someone

To end a relationship with them.To stop dealing with or needing them.

Phrasal Verb: finish with something

To stop using or needing it.