Fought for air (6)
I believe the answer is:
gasped
'fought for air' is the definition.
(I've seen this in another clue)
This is the entire clue.
(Other definitions for gasped that I've seen before include "Breathed laboriously" , "'Panted, puffed (6)'" , "Breathed noisily" , "Caught the breath" , "Drew breath in sharply as in astonishment" .)