variants
or knock-down-and-drag-out
as in fierce
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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Recent Examples of knock-down, drag-out
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
Its climactic scenes are the same as any classically satisfying sports movie’s: athletes (in this case, young Venus) making decisions about themselves, their worth, their futures, and bringing those notions to bear in a knock-down, drag-out match.
—K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone, 19 Nov. 2021
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
Its climactic scenes are the same as any classically satisfying sports movie’s: athletes (in this case, young Venus) making decisions about themselves, their worth, their futures, and bringing those notions to bear in a knock-down, drag-out match.
—K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone, 19 Nov. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knock-down, drag-out
Adjective
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The Supreme Court cases that set off the fiercest conflicts among the justices aren’t always the hot-button ones.—
Dan McLaughlin,
National Review,
25 June 2025
-
And competition is fierce: Waymo has elite tech, Amazon’s Zoox is quietly advancing, and China’s Baidu is pushing fast in its home market.—
Jim Osman,
Forbes.com,
24 June 2025
Adjective
-
Swart said another giveaway is the hotel accommodations that are arranged for violent rioters.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
21 June 2025
-
Newsom and Trump have sparred over the California protests after the president federalized National Guard troops, arguing local officials were not doing enough to quell demonstrations that at times grew violent, though most protesters were peaceful.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 June 2025
Adjective
-
The Manchester City striker is one of the global game’s most ferocious and intelligent goalscorers.—
Megan Feringa,
New York Times,
28 June 2025
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Now, she’s added another competitive event to her list of favorites: F1, or Formula 1, largely considered the world's most ferocious and high-tech form of auto racing.—
Marco della Cava,
USA Today,
26 June 2025
Adjective
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But the Thunder weathered the Pacers’ furious comeback bid on Monday, with Jalen Williams scoring 11 of his game-high 40 points in the fourth.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
19 June 2025
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Georgia’s roommate Cooper (perhaps a production plant) then goes and tells Ava, who’s furious and, in turn, tells Riley.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
18 June 2025
Adjective
-
While the asteroid’s sun-blocking fallout caused a period of severe cooling, the next big crisis sounds eerily more familiar: About 56 million years ago, the average temperature on the planet increased by up to 5 degrees Celsius, possibly due to greenhouse gas emissions from volcanic activity.—
Tim Vernimmen,
JSTOR Daily,
19 June 2025
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Schrodinger basin, a large impact crater near the moon’s south pole, shows evidence of geologically recent volcanic activity.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
18 June 2025
Adjective
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This approach costs three times more than housing people and creates a vicious cycle — incarceration increases homelessness risk by destroying community connections and employment prospects.—
Mahdi E Diab,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 June 2025
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Of course, no conversation about Yellowjackets season 3 would be complete without a deep dive into Shauna's vicious throw down with Swank's Melissa — during which Shauna rips a chunk of flesh off Melissa's arm with her teeth and forces her to eat it.—
EW.com,
EW.com,
19 June 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 2 Jul. 2025.
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