toe to toe
1 of 2phrase
: facing one another
toe-to-toe
2 of 2adjective or adverb
: slugging it out at or as if at close range
a toe-to-toe confrontation over the new policy
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
Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
The pairing of Day-Lewis and DiCaprio is electric, and seeing Leo go toe-to-toe with the legendary thespian feels like Leo is finally living up to his potential as an A-lister.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
The Knights, meanwhile, were heavy underdogs, but managed to go toe-to-toe with Duke, with the game coming down to the last shot.
—Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Mar. 2026
Apple has made great strides in combining the CPU with high-performance GPU cores, often going toe-to-toe with Nvidia in laptop graphics performance while maintaining a unified design that shares memory and resources for speedy work.
—Brian Westover, PC Magazine, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for toe to toe
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Adjective or adverb
But even casual high school boys basketball fans in the western suburbs recognize the Wolves as a force to be reckoned with by going toe-to-toe against top programs in the state under the direction of Velasquez, who is stepping down for some very good personal reasons.
—Rick Armstrong, Chicago Tribune, 17 Mar. 2026
The pairing of Day-Lewis and DiCaprio is electric, and seeing Leo go toe-to-toe with the legendary thespian feels like Leo is finally living up to his potential as an A-lister.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 13 Mar. 2026
The Knights, meanwhile, were heavy underdogs, but managed to go toe-to-toe with Duke, with the game coming down to the last shot.
—Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Mar. 2026
Apple has made great strides in combining the CPU with high-performance GPU cores, often going toe-to-toe with Nvidia in laptop graphics performance while maintaining a unified design that shares memory and resources for speedy work.
—Brian Westover, PC Magazine, 9 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for toe to toe
Cite this Entry
“Toe to toe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/toe%20to%20toe. Accessed 23 Mar. 2026.
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