variants
or knock-down-and-drag-out
as in violent
marked by bursts of destructive force or intense activity
the football game was a knock-down, drag-out battle between bitter rivals
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of knock-down, drag-out
The meeting of a pair of programs on the rise was a knock-down, drag-out affair that appeared to have no end in sight.
—
Evan Webeck, Mercury News, 20 Sep. 2025
What follows is a knock-down, drag-out brawl reminiscent of Tommy Hearns and Marvin Hagler.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 15 Dec. 2024
This was a knock-down, drag-out fight — the kind of match that would make for excellent watching when Marvel Snap tournaments are up and running.
—Ash Parrish, The Verge, 31 Jan. 2023
Last week’s knock-down, drag-out fight could just be the first of many this session as GOP lawmakers grapple with government spending, the debt ceiling and the situation at the border.
—Dallas News, 10 Jan. 2023
But both performers rode their SNL success to Hollywood superstardom, in turn validating the audience's appetite for inspired silliness and knock-down, drag-out belly-laughs.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 13 Dec. 2022
As much as the streaming wars can feel like a knock-down, drag-out fight, Amazon can spend time on the ropes because streaming isn’t its core business.
—Angela Watercutter, Wired, 18 Mar. 2022
But rather than a knock-down, drag-out fight to the finish, this series is all about empowerment.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 17 Feb. 2022
However, leaping in expecting an argument to become a knock-down, drag-out fight isn't the best way to go about your life.
—Tarot Astrologers, chicagotribune.com, 9 Feb. 2022
Evan Webeck, Mercury News, 20 Sep. 2025
What follows is a knock-down, drag-out brawl reminiscent of Tommy Hearns and Marvin Hagler.
—Lynette Rice, Deadline, 15 Dec. 2024
This was a knock-down, drag-out fight — the kind of match that would make for excellent watching when Marvel Snap tournaments are up and running.
—Ash Parrish, The Verge, 31 Jan. 2023
Last week’s knock-down, drag-out fight could just be the first of many this session as GOP lawmakers grapple with government spending, the debt ceiling and the situation at the border.
—Dallas News, 10 Jan. 2023
But both performers rode their SNL success to Hollywood superstardom, in turn validating the audience's appetite for inspired silliness and knock-down, drag-out belly-laughs.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 13 Dec. 2022
As much as the streaming wars can feel like a knock-down, drag-out fight, Amazon can spend time on the ropes because streaming isn’t its core business.
—Angela Watercutter, Wired, 18 Mar. 2022
But rather than a knock-down, drag-out fight to the finish, this series is all about empowerment.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 17 Feb. 2022
However, leaping in expecting an argument to become a knock-down, drag-out fight isn't the best way to go about your life.
—Tarot Astrologers, chicagotribune.com, 9 Feb. 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knock-down, drag-out
Adjective
-
By all accounts, virality is violent for its subjects, and building a sustainable career from sudden celebrity is a formidable task; any sensible person would be wise to distrust such an instantaneous anointing.—
Amanda Petrusich,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The election comes amid a surge in violent crime and corruption that has fueled widespread discontent among voters, who largely view candidates as dishonest and unprepared for the presidency.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Some diehard Beliebers—Justin’s fiercest fans—were already camped out near the front barricades.—
Christian Allaire,
Vogue,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Competition is fierce within China’s tech sector.—
Nicholas Gordon,
Fortune,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Having a husband who engaged with his kids with ferocious tenderness and playful delight was a gift.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Apr. 2026
-
After some ferocious wildfire years, insurers faced massive losses.—
Steven Greenhut,
Oc Register,
12 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Dozens of protesters died, and not long afterward Ceaușescu, while delivering a speech from the balcony of the Communist Party’s Bucharest headquarters, was jeered into silence by a furious public.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The symptoms seemed so disparate, like distinct mugshots neatly pinned to an evidence board without any bold red strings or furious circles to show connection.—
Courtney Crowder,
USA Today,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The roots of the day, also celebrated as International Workers Day, go back over a century to a turbulent and pivotal time in labor history.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Apr. 2026
-
Banning State Park Sandstone, Minnesota Ninety miles north of Minneapolis on I-35 near the town of Sandstone, thrill-seekers, whitewater canoeists, and kayakers venture to Banning State Park for the turbulent rapids of the Kettle River.—
Joie Probst,
Midwest Living,
10 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Overcrowding, strong winds and rough seas caused the vessel to lose control and sink, the agencies said.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Stars like James Dean and Marlon Brando wore Levi’s in the movies, and kids in B-movies for teens wore them, too, folding jeans into the image of rough, rebellious youth.—
Jack Armstrong,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
It’s also produced using a tahona, or volcanic stone, to crush the agave before fermentation, a traditional practice that Patrón doesn’t use for all of its expressions.—
Jonah Flicker,
Robb Report,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Schrodinger basin, a large impact crater near the moon’s south pole, shows evidence of geologically recent volcanic activity.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Throughout season two, rabid fans have started scrutinizing every corner of every scene for Easter eggs, which explains a recent viral post on X about a picture of a cat hanging in the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center’s break room.—
Hershal Pandya,
Vulture,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Yet Idaho’s third-division club is quickly taking its place among a small slice of rabid fan bases outside the MLS.—
Idaho Statesman,
Idaho Statesman,
15 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Knock-down, drag-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knock-down%2C%20drag-out. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
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