neck and neck

adverb or adjective

: very close (as in a race)

Synonyms

• close
• down-to-the-wire
• hairbreadth
• narrow
• nip and tuck
• tight

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

The resulting combination spat out 349 hp and 391 lb-ft, enabling it to run roughly neck and neck with its iconic 300E 5.6 AMG forbear; Car and Driver recorded a 4.9 second 0-60 mph, and a quarter mile of 13.5 seconds at 105 mph, putting it neck-and-neck with a Porsche 911 Carrera of the day. —Will Sabel Courtney, Robb Report, 13 Mar. 2025

But exhilaration runs neck and neck with exhaustion. —Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2025

Entering the race, Wakefield held a 36-35 lead over Pembroke but with the two teams neck and neck on the track, the winner would ultimately claim the title. —Jack Murray, Boston Herald, 19 Jan. 2025

The country was in the final days of a hard fought presidential campaign where the candidates had been neck and neck in national polls for weeks. —Karlyn Bowman, Forbes, 10 Mar. 2025

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)