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

Recent Examples on the Web That started this game of virtual tug-of-war on ice. Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 4 Feb. 2024 Some of the events were legitimate sports (swimming, tennis, golf, volleyball) and others were frivolous (dunk tank, tug-of-war, Frisbee catch). Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times, 9 Feb. 2024 Players compete in a tug-of-war skills challenge event. Ben Morse, CNN, 5 Feb. 2024 Barry’s student-athletes played games with the SEED students in the Health & Sports Center, ranging from tug-of-war, obstacle courses, racing events, basketball drills and skills competitions, using the erg to simulate rowing training and educational guessing games. Miami Herald, 30 Jan. 2024 The storied publication is now in the middle of a tug-of-war between 5-Hour Energy drink founder Manoj Bhargava, who controls publisher Arena Group, and Authentic Brands Group founder Jamie Salter, who controls the SI brand and licensed it to Arena. Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter, 25 Jan. 2024 Each song feels like a tug-of-war between the brain and the body, grief and glee. Amanda Petrusich, The New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2024 Over the past year, grocery chains in Germany, Belgium and other countries have halted orders from some consumer goods companies in a tug-of-war over price hikes. Harold Maass, The Week Us, theweek, 4 Jan. 2024 Over several hours, X employees played tug-of-war with the unknown scammer, with scam posts being removed only to reappear, according to people who followed the events. Andrew Cunningham, Ars Technica, 4 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tug-of-war.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1677, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of tug-of-war was in 1677

Dictionary Entries Near 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 19 Mar. 2024.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on tug-of-war

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