Fighter
A fighter is a person or aircraft associated with combat, especially someone who fights in armed conflict or a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat.
A fighter is a person or aircraft associated with combat, especially someone who fights in armed conflict or a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In general usage, the word can also refer to a boxer, martial artist, or other combatant. The term is broad and context-dependent.
Meaning
The word fighter is used for a person who fights and for an aircraft built for air combat. Dictionaries and reference works treat these as the main senses of the term.
Aviation use
In aviation, a fighter aircraft is a military aircraft developed primarily for air-to-air combat. Reference works on fighter aircraft describe the category as central to military aviation history.
Broader human use
Outside aviation, fighter may describe a combatant, soldier, warrior, boxer, or martial artist. These uses vary by context and are broader than the aviation sense.
Key facts
- A fighter can mean a person who fights or engages in combat.
- In military aviation, a fighter is an aircraft designed to destroy enemy aircraft.
- Fighter aircraft are typically built for speed, maneuverability, and air-to-air combat.
- The word is also used more broadly for boxers and martial artists.
- In encyclopedic and aviation contexts, the term often refers specifically to fighter aircraft.
The term is used in Canadian military, aviation, and general English contexts, including for fighter aircraft and combat sports.
Frequently asked questions
What does fighter mean?
Is a fighter the same as a fighter aircraft?
What is a fighter pilot?
Can fighter mean a boxer?
Is fighter a military term?
References
- Merriam-Webster — https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fighterSupports: Dictionary definition of fighter as a person who fights and as an aircraft designed to destroy enemy aircraft.
- Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FighterSupports: General disambiguation of fighter, including combatant, fighter aircraft, fighter pilot, martial artist, soldier, and warrior.
- Amazon — https://www.amazon.com/World-Encyclopedia-Fighter-Aircraft-Illustrated/dp/0754834743Supports: Title and subject of an encyclopedia focused on fighter aircraft.
- Amazon — https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Book-Fighters-Illustrated-Encyclopedia/dp/0831739398Supports: Title and subject of an illustrated encyclopedia of fighter aircraft.
- Oneonta eCampus — https://oneonta.ecampus.com/world-encyclopedia-fighters-bombers/bk/9780754816164Supports: Description of fighter aircraft as military aircraft designed to attack and destroy other aircraft.
- Internet Archive — https://archive.org/details/completebookoffi0000gree_d6t1Supports: Bibliographic record for The Complete Book of Fighters and its scope as an encyclopedia of fighter aircraft.