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
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
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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
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.
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