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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
-
Lastly, some members of the mainstream media’s reports on the violent anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis have been draped in gross mischaracterizations and gaping omissions.—
Michael Zais,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 Feb. 2026
-
The president’s recent announcement of progress has been somewhat overshadowed by violent crimes making headlines daily.—
Alexandra Mendoza,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Some of the fiercest storms in the South were reported near Lake Charles, Louisiana, where high winds from a thunderstorm overturned a horse trailer and a Mardi Gras float, damaged an airport jet bridge and flung the metal awning from a house into power lines.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Feb. 2026
-
There’s Manny, Zitzs and EZ, who has a way with the girls; Izzy, an abused boy who hides his family’s secrets, and Gloria, as good at sports as the boys and so fierce nobody teases her little sister about her stutter.—
Mary Ann Grossmann,
Twin Cities,
15 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The press was ferocious and organised, with the number of box entries and chances created being higher than any league performance this season.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2026
-
What Lee did not anticipate was the iron resolve, the ferocious tenacity, of the Union defenders.—
Jamelle Bouie,
Mercury News,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Right next to that is a showcase for Rubin’s frenetic playing in the form of a furious pattern over slashing guitars.—
Gil Kaufman,
Billboard,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Two other high-ranking music executives from outside the company, who also spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity to maintain relationships there, said talent and agents at Wasserman Music are furious, and planning exits if Wasserman stays much longer.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The faces of those women represented an unbroken chain of those who survived turbulent histories before me.—
Lara N. Dotson-Renta,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Feb. 2026
-
This is something that is common around young stars that have turbulent and violent environments, but is uncommon for stars as old as ASASSN-24fw, estimated to be around 1 billion years old.—
Robert Lea,
Space.com,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
For much of 2025, their doldrums felt much worse than the typical rough patch that parties endure after bad election defeats.—
Mark Leibovich,
The Atlantic,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Unfortunately, peel-and-stick tiles will not hold up well on rough walls and floors or uneven surfaces.—
Cori Sears,
The Spruce,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The geological feature is often referred to as a lava tube, and is common around volcanic areas of Earth.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
-
But geologically the country could hardly be younger, being entirely volcanic.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The happy couple strolls around town to do normal couple activities (such as a romantic dinner date or appearing on the Kiss Cam at a sporting event), before Pringle Man is destroyed by rabid fans.—
Lexi Carson,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Then, in 2022, New York legalized online and mobile sports betting and suddenly, rabid fans like Shane were subject to rampant advertising and alluring promotions.—
Hannah Keyser,
CNN Money,
1 Feb. 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 18 Feb. 2026.
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