Fit Meaning
/fɪt/Definition, CEFR level A2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjSuitable; proper
adjAdapted to a purpose or environment.
Sentence Examples
No one but a strong man is fit for the post.
I'll bet he'd have a fit if his students fell asleep.
I tried the dress on but it didn't fit.
CEFR Practice Quiz
She tried on the new jacket, but it was too small and didn't ____ her well.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
These shoes don't ____ me very well they are much too tight around the toes and heel.
Word Origin & History
Possibly from Middle English fit (“an adversary of equal power”), of uncertain further origin. The original sense appears to have been "to marshal or deploy troops", which shifted to "to suit (troops to a certain location" > "suitable", and may be further related to Icelandic fitja (“to web, knit, cast on”).
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Is it fit to say a king, Thou art wicked?"
— 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Job 34:18:
"He had drunk more than was fit for him, and he was singing some light song, when he saw approaching, as he said, the pale horse mentioned in the Revelation, with Death seated as the rider."
— 1902, John Buchan, The Outgoing of the Tide:
"The rest we'll leave to be examined later, if we think fit;"
— 2005, Lesley Brown, Sophist, translation of original by Plato, 243d:
"Sergeant Schlock has no horse, no armor, and no sword, but even the mightiest Mongol horse-warrior would see in him a fit heir."
— 2015 February 1, Howard Tayler, Schlock Mercenary, archived from the original on 14 May 2024:
"That which ordinary men are fit for, I am qualified in."
— c. 1603–1606, William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of King Lear”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene iv]:
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CEFR Practice Quiz
She tried on the new jacket, but it was too small and didn't ____ her well.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
These shoes don't ____ me very well they are much too tight around the toes and heel.