toe-to-toe

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

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

Examples of toe-to-toe in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples on the Web

But the lure of going to LSU and taking over a program that's won three national titles - with three different head coaches - over the last 20 years and be able to physically go toe-to-toe with the Georgia's and Alabama's of the SEC may be too tempting to pass up. —Andrew McCarty, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Nov. 2025

The boxers go toe-to-toe in a grueling fight at the climax of the movie that results in a win for Rocky. —Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 28 Nov. 2025

Last year, for instance, the company reset its $2 billion, 30-year-old No Boundaries, going toe-to-toe with Abercrombie and other teen retailers with a much more cohesive brand presentation and positioning. —Evan Clark, Footwear News, 25 Nov. 2025

Trump has gone toe-to-toe with ABC for years. —Laura Kelly, The Hill, 18 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1942, in the meaning defined above