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

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

Elliot Anderson fought tooth and nail to help keep Nottingham Forest up. — Carl Anka, New York Times, 10 July 2026

And by fighting tooth and nail to make sure their voices are heard in Washington. — Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Sun Sentinel, 9 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