dogfight

nouns

a fiercely disputed contest
"their rancor dated from a political dogfight between them"; "a real dogfight for third place"; "a prolonged dogfight over their rival bids for the contract"
dogfight
is a type of (narrower)
an occasion on which a winner is selected from among two or more contestants
competition, contest
disorderly fighting
dogfight, hassle, rough-and-tumble, scuffle, tussle
an aerial engagement between fighter planes
dogfight
is derived from
dogfighter
is a type of (narrower)
a hostile meeting of opposing military forces in the course of a war
"Grant won a decisive victory in the battle of Chickamauga"; "he lost his romantic ideas about war when he got into a real engagement"
battle, conflict, engagement, fight
a violent fight between dogs (sometimes organized illegally for entertainment and gambling)
dogfight
is a type of (narrower)
the act of fighting; any contest or struggle
"a fight broke out at the hockey game"; "there was fighting in the streets"; "the unhappy couple got into a terrible scrap"
combat, fight, fighting, scrap

verbs

arrange for an illegal dogfight
dogfight
is a type of (narrower)
plan, organize, and carry out (an event)
"the neighboring tribe staged an invasion"
arrange, stage
engage in an aerial battle with another fighter plane
dogfight
is a type of (narrower)
battle or contend against in or as if in a battle
"The Kurds are combating Iraqi troops in Northern Iraq"; "We must combat the prejudices against other races"; "they battled over the budget"
battle, combat