tug-of-war

noun

ˌtəg-ə(v)-ˈwȯr 

plural tugs-of-war

1

: a struggle for supremacy or control usually involving two antagonists

2

: a contest in which two teams pull against each other at opposite ends of a rope with the object of pulling the middle of the rope over a mark on the ground

Synonyms of tug-of-war

• rivalry
• battle
• struggle
• competition
• duel
• warfare
• conflict
• confrontation
• war
• contention

Examples of tug-of-war in a Sentence

the effort to get their teenage son to keep his room clean is a constant tug-of-war

Recent Examples on the Web

The team modelled a gravitational tug-of-war between Venus, a hypothetical moon, and the sun, following this forward over billions of years. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 8 Sep. 2026

Corbin was about to drag it back into the ring before Yachty started a tug-of-war for the belt. — Ryan Gaydos Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2026

Malick Fofana The drama might have largely passed Fofana himself by, but the tug-of-war for the forward’s signature was one of the sagas of deadline day. — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 5 Sep. 2026

Still, their emotionally ruinous tug-of-war goes on for so many rounds that the movie limps toward the end credits exhausted. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1677, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tug-of-war

• albacore
• alongshore
• antiwar
• anymore
• carnivore
• commodore
• dinosaur
• evermore
• furthermore
• guarantor
• herbivore
• heretofore

Kids Definition

tug-of-war

noun

ˌtəg-ə(v)-ˈwȯ(ə)r

plural tugs-of-war

1

: a struggle to win

2

: a contest in which two teams pull against each other at opposite ends of a rope