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
-
Erfan Soltani, 26, was arrested last month as demonstrations roiled the country, sparking a violent crackdown by authorities.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
2 Feb. 2026
-
Unprecedented spending has also done little to address the country’s worst in the nation homeless problem, an infrastructure that is graded lower than the national average, and a violent crime rate that is 35% higher than the national average.—
Wayne Winegarden,
Oc Register,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Those funds are caught in a fierce battle over Democratic proposals, now backed by some Republicans, to impose limits on the behavior of the ICE agents whose aggressive tactics in Minneapolis have left protesters Renee Good and Alex Pretti dead.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Game director Cary Trzcinski made sure emotions did not boil over and lead to a melee, sticking his thick body and fierce game face into one brewing moment in the second half.—
Joe Davidson,
Sacbee.com,
1 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
-
But the Hornets held off a furious San Antonio comeback at the end.—
Scott Fowler The Charlotte Observer,
Arkansas Online,
2 Feb. 2026
-
But the Hornets held off a furious San Antonio comeback at the end.—
Scott Fowler,
Charlotte Observer,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Described as more of a tonal companion to The Worm than a direct continuation, The Answerers is equal parts existential thriller and absurdist comedy, exploring belief, delusion and the human need for meaning in an increasingly turbulent modern world.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
30 Jan. 2026
-
One analyst argues that Bitcoin could sink even more, given the turbulent macroeconomic environment.—
Carlos Garcia,
Fortune,
30 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Known as StellFoundry, the new project focuses on replacing lengthy calculations in the design process with types of digital models, or surrogates, that provide rough calculation estimates.—
Prabhat Ranjan Mishra,
Interesting Engineering,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The family, from the state capital Perth, were using kayaks and paddleboards on Friday morning when rough ocean and wind conditions started dragging them out.—
Rod McGuirk,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Since Saba is a volcanic island that rises steeply straight out of the sea, most species simply never made it there.—
James Barrett,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Trump seethes with hatred and erupts in volcanic fury to denounce, demonize, disparage and threaten anyone who refuses to support his increasingly irrational and harmful proposals and actions.—
Washington Post,
Washington Post,
2 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 8 Feb. 2026.
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