as in rivalry
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
the effort to get their teenage son to keep his room clean is a constant tug-of-war
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tug-of-war
Classical Rudersdal, Denmark, situated beside Copenhagen and along the open coast, exists in a perpetual tug-of-war between the rustic and the modern.
—
Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2025
There is no political tug-of-war between the DA and the Governor.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 11 Apr. 2025
No courtroom tug-of-war over who gets the dog or the air fryer.
—Ruhama Wolle, Glamour, 10 Apr. 2025
Typically, car dealers roll out incentives in anticipation of American tax returns during the second quarter, but this year dealers and consumers are in a tug-of-war that consists of the former looking to offload inventory and the latter looking for attractive deals.
—Charles Singh, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tug-of-war
Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 11 Apr. 2025
There is no political tug-of-war between the DA and the Governor.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 11 Apr. 2025
No courtroom tug-of-war over who gets the dog or the air fryer.
—Ruhama Wolle, Glamour, 10 Apr. 2025
Typically, car dealers roll out incentives in anticipation of American tax returns during the second quarter, but this year dealers and consumers are in a tug-of-war that consists of the former looking to offload inventory and the latter looking for attractive deals.
—Charles Singh, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tug-of-war
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tug-of-war
Noun
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What has endured and evolved, however, is a fierce rivalry in an event that is now huge business, watched by up to 250,000 in person, millions more on television (the races are being screened live on BBC One) and sponsored by French luxury brand Chanel, no less.—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
12 Apr. 2025
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While known for his exceptional mic skills, Punk also consistently delivered in-ring performances, with his rivalry against John Cena and Rey Mysterio producing some of his most iconic bouts.—
David Faris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Rather, Awuah-Darko wants his story to reach people, whether through Instagram or this article, who feel alone in their battles, even if that comes with backlash.—
Alyssa Goldberg,
USA Today,
14 Apr. 2025
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The White Sox had to settle for taking two of three in the series after falling in the battle against Crochet, who allowed one run on one hit with 11 strikeouts and one walk in 7 1/3 innings.—
LaMond Pope,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Keith and Mark Newhouse of Newhouse Creative Group understand these struggles firsthand.—
Chris Gallagher,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
-
Young’s struggles against the Heat continued early in Friday’s contest, scoring 14 points while shooting just 3 of 14 from the field and 1 of 5 on threes through the first three quarters.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
19 Apr. 2025
Noun
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This year, there's little other competition for NFL-ready quarterbacks.—
Becky Sullivan,
NPR,
24 Apr. 2025
-
Most importantly, this competition is not ideological.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The show is partially set before the events of Revenge of the Sith, which ends with Anakin’s transformation into Darth Vader after being severely injured in a lightsaber duel with Obi-Wan.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
19 Apr. 2025
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The 36-year-old deGrom, who also remains in that conversation even on the backside of his career, was almost as good in Friday’s pitcher’s duel.—
Jack Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
Russia is very adept at what is known as hybrid warfare, a term that broadly refers to tactics designed to undermine or destabilize opponents, but falling short of open conflict.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
17 Apr. 2025
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So ingrained is the fixation with speed that generations of U.S. military commanders have learned to shudder at the mention of attritional warfare, embracing decisive maneuver as the route to quick victories.—
Lawrence D. Freedman,
Foreign Affairs,
14 Apr. 2025
Noun
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There have been no pauses in the conflict since Russia launched its unprovoked full-scale invasion in February 2022.—
Catherine Nicholls,
CNN Money,
20 Apr. 2025
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Putin told Gerasimov on Saturday that Russia welcomed efforts from the U.S., China and BRICS countries to find a peaceful settlement to the conflict.—
Reuters,
USA Today,
20 Apr. 2025
Noun
-
The confrontation stopped and restarted as the man appeared to try to get the knife away from Perez over the fence.—
Phaedra Trethan,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2025
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During the confrontation, the two men were shot, and both died on scene, officers said.—
Paloma Chavez,
Sacbee.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tug-of-war.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tug-of-war. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.
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