slugfest

noun

slug·​fest ˈsləg-ˌfest 

: a fight marked by the exchange of heavy blows

also : a heated dispute

a vocal slugfest

Examples of slugfest in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

But unlike the Wimbledon example, there’s no final score the robots can reach to end their slugfest. —Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 23 July 2025

The Giants keep this slugfest close on a cold, dreary, rainy day in East Rutherford against J.J. McCarthy, whom Schoen passed on in the 2024 draft. —Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 15 May 2025

At that point, the contest had morphed into a back-and-forth slugfest, and the fouls kept coming against both teams. —Bob Harkins, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2025

The game itself was a sloppy slugfest, with both teams combining for 31 turnovers (Magic Johnson coughed it up no fewer than seven times, with two of those fumbles occurring in the final minute) and the Celtics shooting 39.5% from the field. —Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 11 July 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1916, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for slugfest

• abreast
• accessed
• addressed
• appressed
• armrest
• arrest
• assessed
• attest
• backrest
• behest
• bequest
• caressed