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

• 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

After going toe-to-toe with the Los Angeles Dodgers in the early stages of the year, things quickly turned south despite the team being provided with reinforcements. —Drew Vonscio, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025

Marino recalled Miami’s close 30-27 loss in Buffalo last year, a game that showed the Dolphins could go toe-to-toe with one of the league’s best. —Scott Thompson, FOXNews.com, 16 Sep. 2025

Saturday’s game against Georgia proved that Aguilar and Tennessee’s offense are ready to go toe-to-toe with any defense in the country. —Antonio Morales, New York Times, 15 Sep. 2025

And this is a classic 'High Noon' toe-to-toe showdown-at-the-corral heavyweight fight. —Brian Truitt, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1942, in the meaning defined above