- [countable] a sudden attack of an illness, such as epilepsy, in which somebody becomes unconscious and their body may make violent movements synonym convulsion
- to have an epileptic fit
- He suffered from headaches and fainting fits.
- Her fits are now controlled by drugs.
Extra ExamplesTopics Health problemsc1- He has a brain disorder that can trigger convulsive fits.
- She hurt her arm during one of her fits.
- She suffered a major fit last year.
- The fits usually occur at night.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- convulsive
- epileptic
- fainting
- …
- have
- suffer
- suffer from
- …
- happen
- occur
- during a fit
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- [countable] a sudden short period of coughing (= forcing air through the throat noisily) or of laughing, that you cannot control synonym bout
- a fit of coughing
- He had us all in fits (of laughter) with his jokes.
Extra ExamplesTopics Health problemsc1- She collapsed in a fit of laughter.
- The cold air brought on one of his coughing fits.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- coughing
- sneezing
- crying
- …
- have
- pitch
- throw
- …
- be over
- pass
- in a fit of
- fit of
- in fits
- in fits of laughter
- [countable] a short period of very strong feeling
- to act in a fit of anger/rage/temper/pique
Extra Examples- He pushed the referee in a fit of temper.
- He suffers from fits of depression.
- In a sudden fit of anger, he snatched the book from her hand.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- coughing
- sneezing
- crying
- …
- have
- pitch
- throw
- …
- be over
- pass
- in a fit of
- fit of
- in fits
- in fits of laughter
- [countable, uncountable] (often with an adjective) the way that something, especially a piece of clothing, fits; the way that somebody/something fits into something
- The shoe has a special strap to ensure a good fit.
- It was a tight fit with six of us in the boat.
Extra ExamplesTopics Clothes and Fashionb2- File away any excess metal until a snug fit is achieved.
- The cap is made of 92% polyester with 8% Spandex for a custom fit.
- The door was a poor fit and didn't open properly.
- The jersey is a comfortable fit—not too tight and not too loose.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- excellent
- good
- nice
- …
- achieve
- get
- produce
- …
- fit between
- a lack of fit
- [countable] fit (between A and B) the way that two things match each other or are suitable for each other
- a perfect fit between the recruit and the job
Extra Examples- We need to work out the best fit between the staff required and the staff available.
- The formula gives a much better fit to the experimental data.
- the statistical fit between the interest rate and investment
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- excellent
- good
- nice
- …
- achieve
- get
- produce
- …
- fit between
- a lack of fit
illness
of coughing/laughter
of strong feeling
how something fits
match
Word Originnoun senses 4 to 5 late Middle English: of unknown origin. noun senses 1 to 3 Old English fitt ‘conflict’, in Middle English ‘position of danger or excitement’, also ‘short period’; the sense ‘sudden attack of illness’ dates from the mid 16th cent.
Idioms
See fit in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee fit in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishby/in fits and starts | in stops and starts
- frequently starting and stopping again; not continuously
- Because of other commitments I can only write my book in fits and starts.
have/throw a fit
- (informal) to be very shocked, upset or angry
- Your mother would have a fit if she knew you'd been drinking!
Check pronunciation:
fit