as in rivalries
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
the playful competition over who would get the new office turned into a real dogfight
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Recent Examples of dogfights
In addition, it will be designed to deliver long-range missile punches instead of engaging in dogfights.
—
David Szondy
march 01, New Atlas, 1 Mar. 2026
Williams was given the military’s highest honor for courageously taking on seven Soviet MiG aircraft over Korea in 1952 and knocking four of them out of the sky in what is widely regarded as one of the longest and toughest aerial dogfights in the history of the Navy.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
While very rare, even visual-range dogfights tend to occur over a few miles.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 14 Feb. 2026
Its open world feels alive with bustling cities, dangerous deserts, and space dogfights.
—PC Magazine, 1 Dec. 2025
Two games like this, dogfights to start the year and just closing it on defense, there’s no better feeling.
—Michael Nowels, Mercury News, 15 Sep. 2025
Following that incident, analysts wouldn’t rule out the possibility of Turkish-Israeli mock dogfights, not unlike the recurring Turkish-Greek ones over the Aegean Sea, occurring over Syria, especially if Israel and Turkey’s opposing policies in that country diverge even further.
—Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
On top of dogfights and exploration, there are plenty of puzzles to solve and secrets to uncover.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 4 Aug. 2025
David Szondy
march 01, New Atlas, 1 Mar. 2026
Williams was given the military’s highest honor for courageously taking on seven Soviet MiG aircraft over Korea in 1952 and knocking four of them out of the sky in what is widely regarded as one of the longest and toughest aerial dogfights in the history of the Navy.
—Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 Feb. 2026
While very rare, even visual-range dogfights tend to occur over a few miles.
—Christopher McFadden, Interesting Engineering, 14 Feb. 2026
Its open world feels alive with bustling cities, dangerous deserts, and space dogfights.
—PC Magazine, 1 Dec. 2025
Two games like this, dogfights to start the year and just closing it on defense, there’s no better feeling.
—Michael Nowels, Mercury News, 15 Sep. 2025
Following that incident, analysts wouldn’t rule out the possibility of Turkish-Israeli mock dogfights, not unlike the recurring Turkish-Greek ones over the Aegean Sea, occurring over Syria, especially if Israel and Turkey’s opposing policies in that country diverge even further.
—Paul Iddon, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
On top of dogfights and exploration, there are plenty of puzzles to solve and secrets to uncover.
—Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 4 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dogfights
Noun
-
Despite long-standing rivalries among senior Iranian politicians — many of whom hold powerful political positions and control significant economic resources — these factions quickly set aside their differences and pledged loyalty to him.—
Pegah Banihashemi,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Mar. 2026
-
So many of these issues are driven by issues of governance, economic competition, and various regional rivalries, which sometimes play out through proxy groups.—
Isaac Chotiner,
New Yorker,
11 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Comfort battles formality fighting to break free.—
Julissa James,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Mar. 2026
-
For example, one recent night, the room between Cardboard Corner Café and TableTop was set up for Warhammer, where enthusiasts collect, build, and paint miniatures, and fight strategic tabletop battles.—
Debra Skodack,
Kansas City Star,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In Dumas’ work, fights and duels and brave assaults on prisons are done grandly, out in the open.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
11 Mar. 2026
-
The youngster completed more dribbles (three), won the most duels (six), had the most shots on target (two) and had more touches in the opposition box (nine) than any of his team-mates.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
7 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
In a briefing with reporters earlier, a Meta legal spokesperson said the company didn't believe that youth mental health struggles, both broadly and with Kaley specifically, could be solved through litigation.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
13 Mar. 2026
-
While the film’s production struggles have come under scrutiny, the trailer gives a taster of the Saudi Arabia’s stunning backdrops as well as its cinema ambitions.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Suddenly the idea of people getting into viral confrontations and talking about Karens and all that was part of the zeitgeist.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Mar. 2026
-
To understand how federal agents are using various Department of Homeland Security surveillance tools in real time, NPR collected dozens of accounts — through interviews and court documents — describing confrontations with federal immigration officers in recent months.—
Meg Anderson,
NPR,
4 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Jennings has spent decades capturing breathtaking aerial moments with his camera for extreme sports competitions, Super Bowl commercials, and Hollywood blockbusters.—
Jill Goldsmith,
Deadline,
13 Mar. 2026
-
On Friday, athletes competed in a variety of strength and fitness competitions across several stages.—
Aaron Leibowitz,
Miami Herald,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
But the military outcome and the political outcome are almost never the same thing, and the gap between them is where wars fail.—
Farah N. Jan,
The Conversation,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Linda Bilmes, a Harvard expert on the cost of wars, told me that the United States used up more than 20% of its entire worldwide stockpile of THAAD interceptors last year defending Israel during the 12-day war with Iran.—
Nicholas D. Kristof,
Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
The president noted that past military conflicts have dogged his predecessors, mentioning former President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and Jimmy Carter’s handling of the Iran hostage crisis.—
Francesca Chambers,
USA Today,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Geopolitical conflicts and economic tensions this year have sparked a new wave of interest in gold as an investment.—
Liz Knueven,
CNBC,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Dogfights.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dogfights. Accessed 17 Mar. 2026.
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