tug-of-war
noun
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
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 self-magnetization is driven by a thermal tug-of-war.
—
Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 6 June 2026
As the offensive tug-of-war continued into the second quarter and New York cut the lead down to three, Brunson finally appeared back on the bench and checked back into the game as Knicks fans breathed a sigh of relief.
—Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 4 June 2026
The winners of San Jose’s City Council races will have to wrestle with multimillion-dollar budget deficits in the coming years, tackle ongoing struggles with homelessness and public safety, and balance the tug-of-war between labor and business at City Hall.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
Sunday’s 9-4 finale win was more tug-of-war than Saturday’s 9-1 laugher, though.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 31 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tug-of-war
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Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 6 June 2026
As the offensive tug-of-war continued into the second quarter and New York cut the lead down to three, Brunson finally appeared back on the bench and checked back into the game as Knicks fans breathed a sigh of relief.
—Jacob Lev, CNN Money, 4 June 2026
The winners of San Jose’s City Council races will have to wrestle with multimillion-dollar budget deficits in the coming years, tackle ongoing struggles with homelessness and public safety, and balance the tug-of-war between labor and business at City Hall.
—Ryan MacAsero, Mercury News, 3 June 2026
Sunday’s 9-4 finale win was more tug-of-war than Saturday’s 9-1 laugher, though.
—Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 31 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tug-of-war
Cite this Entry
“Tug-of-war.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tug-of-war. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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