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
Team executives worried about politics, budgets, manufacturer relationships and the endless tug-of-war with NASCAR itself.
—
Greg Engle, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Those geographic differences are evidence of a long-standing tug-of-war for water between the two rivers over millions of years—and the Yangtze appears to be the clear winner.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 12 May 2026
More on why there’s a tug-of-war in the administration over AI policy.
—Benjamin Guggenheim, Washington Post, 8 May 2026
And if sharing a blanket is a nightly tug-of-war, the oversized queen- and king-sized options could be your answer.
—Jeaneen Russell, PEOPLE, 3 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tug-of-war
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Greg Engle, Forbes.com, 17 May 2026
Those geographic differences are evidence of a long-standing tug-of-war for water between the two rivers over millions of years—and the Yangtze appears to be the clear winner.
—Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 12 May 2026
More on why there’s a tug-of-war in the administration over AI policy.
—Benjamin Guggenheim, Washington Post, 8 May 2026
And if sharing a blanket is a nightly tug-of-war, the oversized queen- and king-sized options could be your answer.
—Jeaneen Russell, PEOPLE, 3 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 21 May. 2026.
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