tooth and nail

adverb

Updated on: 3 Apr 2018

Definition of tooth and nail

: with every available means : all out

fight tooth and nail

See tooth and nail defined for kids

Examples of tooth and nail in a Sentence

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

Recent Examples of tooth and nail from the Web

So ends years of strife in Trophy Club, a bedroom community in Northeast Tarrant County that fought tooth and nail not to have an apartment complex on one of the main entrances to the town.

— nicholas sakelaris, star-telegram, "That five-year fight over apartments in Trophy Club? It's over | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 27 Mar. 2018
Though much of the focus has been on Berrios and Kaegi, Raila fought tooth and nail to get on the ballot.

— ashley mizuo, Chicago Reader, "News / Politics Joe Berrios ousted from Cook County assessor's office; Chuy a step closer to Congress," 20 Mar. 2018
The ride-hailing companies have fought tooth and nail to make sure that their drivers are categorized as independent contractors, rather than employees, which means that the drivers themselves are bearing those costs.

— cyrus farivar, Ars Technica, "What’s Uber and Lyft drivers’ median hourly wage? $10 or lower, report finds," 6 Mar. 2018
The problem has been, of course, is a Justice Department and an FBI that has fought tooth and nail.

— Fox News, "What to expect from Trump's meeting with Kim Jong Un," 11 Mar. 2018
The two groups have been fighting tooth and nail for the past year, with the free-market faction succeeding until now in forestalling an action conservatives warn could have severe economic consequences.

— molly ball, Time, "President Trump's Tariffs Were His First Big Break With the GOP," 8 Mar. 2018
Blame the laws that make the weapons readily available, the same laws that many sellers fight tooth and nail to defend, because gun control would otherwise be bad for business, just as arming schoolteachers would be very good for business.

— michael paterniti, GQ, "Dragonman, the Man Who Sells “People-Hunting Guns”," 7 Mar. 2018
But homeowners who profit from rising property values still fight tooth and nail to keep apartments out of single-family neighborhoods.

— kate wagner, The Atlantic, "City Noise Might Be Making You Sick," 20 Feb. 2018
Tess Broermann is also a freshman starter, so Loveland and Walnut might be fighting tooth and nail for the next few years.

— scott springer, Cincinnati.com, "Springer: Ice Ice Baby (not a fan)," 7 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'tooth and nail.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.