dogfight

an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another <the playful competition over who would get the new office turned into a real dogfight> Synonyms ball game, battle, combat, competition, conflict, confrontation, contention, contest, duel, face-off, grapple, match, rivalry, strife, struggle, sweepstakes (also sweep-stake), tug-of-war, war, warfareRelated Words horse race, nail-biter; showdown; clash, collision, discord, friction; argument, controversy, debate, disagreement, disputation, dispute, dissension (also dissention), quarrel, row, wrangleNear Antonyms concord, harmony, peace