neck and neck

adverb or adjective

: very close (as in a race)

Synonyms of neck and neck

• narrow
• close

Examples of neck and neck in a Sentence

a neck and neck finish in which only a fraction of a second separated the winner from the runner-up

Recent Examples on the Web

Raman is neck and neck with Bass, with Pratt close on their heels, according to the most recent poll from the UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies, which was co-sponsored by The Times. —Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026

The two — Keiko Fujimori, the conservative daughter of disgraced former President Alberto Fujimori, and Roberto Sánchez, a nationalist congressman and former minister — are neck and neck in the polls and will face off on Sunday. —ABC News, 1 June 2026

Cepeda is polling neck and neck with the far-right politician Abelardo de la Espriella, a lawyer who has never held public office. —Roberto Andrés, The Dial, 28 May 2026

Hilton and Becerra have been neck and neck in recent June primary polls, often leading a crowded field of gubernatorial candidates. —James Ward, USA Today, 15 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1672, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for neck and neck

• biotech
• bottleneck
• quarterdeck
• turtleneck
• zapotec
• aztec
• breakneck
• codec
• exec
• mixtec
• paycheck
• pinchbeck

Kids Definition

neck and neck

adverb or adjective

: very close (as in a race)