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
-
Rising number of violent incidents, 911 calls But reducing the inmate population did not solve the problem with drugs and violence.—
Kristine Phillips,
IndyStar,
5 Nov. 2025
-
After Maggie and Paul were shot to death on June 7, 2021, Alex was found guilty of two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during a violent crime, earning two consecutive life sentences without possibility of parole.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Some nearby residents, including Sue Weston — the owner of Weston Gardens in Bloom, a historic garden located on Anglin Drive — have expressed fierce opposition to the data center.—
Emily Holshouser,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Last year, the governor tried to increase the number of in-office days to four only to face fierce resistance from his employees and their labor representatives.—
William Melhado,
Sacbee.com,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Just a big ferocious ball of meat, claws, and teeth.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Though the storm did not make a direct hit on Haiti, its ferocious rains caused rivers to flood and jump their banks.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Anaheim had a furious rally in the third, outshooting Washington 17-5.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 Jan. 2026
-
For at that very moment, the barn door swung open, and snow swept up in a furious fashion.—
Lauren Ashley Bishop,
Variety,
4 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Use extra caution near the surf zone as these large waves will be capable of sweeping people into the frigid and turbulent ocean water.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
7 Jan. 2026
-
The story of the Platonic representation hypothesis paper began in early 2023, a turbulent time for AI researchers.—
Ben Brubaker,
Quanta Magazine,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Other government notices mentioned the size and rough location of the construction.—
Tamara Qiblawi,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
-
Yams tend to be white fleshed with a rough, brown exterior.—
Paul Cappiello,
Louisville Courier Journal,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
In 2022, debris from an underwater volcanic eruption severed the island's only subsea communication cable, cutting the island off from the rest of the world.—
Magdalena Petrova,
CNBC,
8 Nov. 2025
-
Other materials such as tephra, or hot glassy volcanic fragments, as well as volcanic ash, pumice, scoria and reticulite can fall on the ground within 1 to 3 miles of the eruptive vents.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Despite three tumultuous relocations in the past half-century, most recently a defection to Sin City five years ago, the Raiders still have a rabid fan base — at Allegiant, every game day is Halloween — and the natives and transplants (including 62,080 attendees Sunday) are getting restless.—
Michael Silver,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
-
The show then unravels like a circus, hopping with rabid animals when real demons from the underworld steal the spotlight, feeding off the rising live-stream viewer count.—
Michael Lee Simpson,
Entertainment Weekly,
29 Oct. 2025
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 8 Jan. 2026.
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