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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
But the real Battlefield experience is the tug-of-war around capturing locations in prolonged battles of attrition. Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 9 Oct. 2025 Youssef has a history of intense and high-profile tugs-of-war with Egypt’s authoritarian regimes, the most recent of which has been in power since 2014. Dalia Abdelwahab, CNN Money, 8 Oct. 2025 The historic event is held on the first Saturday in September every year at The Princess Royal and Duke of Fife Memorial Park, and participants engage in traditional Highland Games events like hammer throwing and tug-of-war. Lydia Mansel, Travel + Leisure, 4 Oct. 2025 But his arrival wound up sparking a contractual tug-of-war between the NPB and MLB. Jared Bahir Browsh, The Conversation, 2 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for tug-of-war

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

Cite this Entry

“Tug-of-war.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tug-of-war. Accessed 16 Oct. 2025.

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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