fist

fist · noun

imported

Definitions

noun

  1. 1.

    A hand with the fingers and thumb clenched tightly together, typically in anger or to deliver a punch.

  2. 2.

    The amount that can be held in a clenched hand.

  3. 3.

    (informal) A person's handwriting.

Forms

plural: fists

Phrases & expressions

  • •
    iron fist — harsh, authoritarian control
  • •
    make a fist — to clench one's hand
  • •
    fist bump — a greeting gesture where two people touch fists
  • •
    hand over fist — rapidly and in large quantities

Related words

Antonyms: open hand, palm
See also: fists, hand, punch
Synonyms: clenched hand

Etymology

From Old English fȳst ("fist"), from Proto-Germanic fustiz. Related to German Faust and Dutch vuist.