: marked by ruthless self-interest
dog-eat-dog competition

Examples of dog-eat-dog in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Joy radiates in the room, and a dog-eat-dog environment where people cut each other off is replaced by open collaboration. Barry Levitt, Time, 19 Sep. 2025 Each episode is built around a tense, dog-eat-dog hunt, where each player becomes either a Predator or Prey. Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 2 July 2025 Ditch the dog-eat-dog mentality and figure out how to combine their apocalyptic gifts against a common enemy. Natalie Zutter june 30, Literary Hub, 30 June 2025 The antics that ensue are amusing, but there isn’t much incisiveness in the increasingly farcical dog-eat-dog dénouement. Kyle Chayka, New Yorker, 4 June 2025 With or without his unusual backstory, Greenhalgh quickly realised that elite professional football is a dog-eat-dog world, especially for those who are still trying to prove themselves. Stuart James, New York Times, 31 May 2025 The risk was getting waived and wallowing in the G League with sparse crowds, commercial travel between remote locales and a dog-eat-dog team culture for as little as $40,500. Mark Zeigler, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 May 2025 And yet, this authentic and downbeat immigrant drama questions what luck means in a ruthless, dog-eat-dog city where only the strongest survive. Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 27 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dog-eat-dog was in 1834

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Cite this Entry

“Dog-eat-dog.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dog-eat-dog. Accessed 9 Oct. 2025.

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