toe to toe

1 of 2

phrase

: facing one another

toe-to-toe

2 of 2

adjective or adverb

ˈtō-ˌtə-ˈtō 

: slugging it out at or as if at close range

a toe-to-toe confrontation over the new policy

Synonyms of toe to toe

Adjective or adverb

• head-to-head
• one-on-one
• head-on
• face-to-face
• eyeball-to-eyeball

Examples of toe to toe in a Sentence

Adjective or adverb

mom-and-pop grocery stores are usually wildly outmatched when they go toe-to-toe with large chain stores

Recent Examples on the Web

Phrase

Following the break, Joint, 20, continued to go toe to toe with Williams, winning multiple extended rallies. — Amina Kilpatrick, NBC news, 30 June 2026

Adjective or adverb

For a Chromebook that'll go toe-to-toe with Windows laptops significantly more expensive, our top pick is the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714. — K. Thor Jensen, PC Magazine, 13 July 2026

Cape Verde, which placed second in the Group H standings, went toe-to-toe against tournament favorite Argentina in the knockout round on Friday, July 3. — Jaclyn Hendricks, PEOPLE, 7 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective Or Adverb

circa 1942, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for toe to toe

• acknow
• aglow
• ago
• airglow
• aloe
• altho
• although
• ammo
• backflow
• backhoe
• banjo
• barbeau