tug-of-war

noun

ˌtəg-ə(v)-ˈwȯr 

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

Synonyms of tug-of-war

• rivalry
• battle
• struggle
• competition
• duel
• warfare
• conflict
• confrontation
• war
• contention

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

To further test the adhesive’s stickiness, the team attached ropes to the ends of two strips of the tape, stuck the strips together, and used the setup for a tug-of-war between students and faculty. — New Atlas, 21 Sep. 2026

Following last week's interest rate hike, Goolsbee was putting into perspective what to expect going forward in the Fed's tug-of-war between its dual mandate of fostering price stability and maximizing employment. — Kevin Stankiewicz,matthew J. Belvedere, CNBC, 21 Sep. 2026

The addictively queasy tug-of-war between wanting to explore the next section and wanting to just say ‘nope’ and turn the whole thing off. — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026

The team modelled a gravitational tug-of-war between Venus, a hypothetical moon, and the sun, following this forward over billions of years. — Robert Lea, Space.com, 8 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1677, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for tug-of-war

• albacore
• alongshore
• antiwar
• anymore
• carnivore
• commodore
• dinosaur
• evermore
• furthermore
• guarantor
• herbivore
• heretofore

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