tooth and nail

adverb

: with every available means : all out

fight tooth and nail

Synonyms of tooth and nail

• full steam ahead
• like crazy
• to the hilt
• in full career
• all out

Examples of tooth and nail in a Sentence

I'll fight tooth and nail to win the finals.

Recent Examples on the Web

For European countries, this means building military capacity, fighting tooth and nail to prevent Russia and the United States from making deals over their heads, and taking a more detached approach to conflicts in more distant parts of the world. — Mark Leonard, Foreign Affairs, 18 Aug. 2026

Florida and Texas compete tooth and nail for founders and investors (no state income tax). — Karia Samaroo, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026

Both have earned the lasting respect and admiration of their fans and, above all, of their players, who have fought tooth and nail for them and their ideas at every turn. — Juan Claudio Matossian, Vanity Fair, 19 July 2026

Later scenes depict charging horses and vast swaths of commoners fighting tooth and nail for freedom. — Sophie Miller, Rolling Stone, 16 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1550, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tooth and nail

• abigail
• cottontail
• countervail
• fingernail
• martingale
• mesoscale
• microscale
• monorail
• nanoscale
• ponytail
• swallowtail
• wensleydale

Kids Definition

tooth and nail

adverb

: as hard as one can

fighting tooth and nail