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
-
One of the only figures in Fuqua’s filmography who resembles Alonzo is Suge Knight, the real-life hip-hop executive known for his bullying—and sometimes violent—approach to business and life.—
Kelefa Sanneh,
New Yorker,
20 Apr. 2026
-
The violent attack marked a tragic and final chapter in Griffin’s downward spiral following his mother’s death in 2021.—
Roni Jacobson,
New York Daily News,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Ganesh’s exit from the show was announced earlier this month, sparking a fierce wave of pushback from fans of the HBO show.—
Tribune News Service,
Baltimore Sun,
17 Apr. 2026
-
That sum would amount to more than 10 times what President Obama released to Iran under a 2015 nuclear deal, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, that was the subject of fierce Republican criticism in the decade since.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Focus Features has set a Sept 11 release for the Paul Greengrass directed, Andrew Garfield starring The Uprising, which follows the untold true story of a ferocious rebellion against the tyranny of King Richard II.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
22 Apr. 2026
-
The ferocious rally this month can also be explained in part by technical factors.—
John Towfighi,
CNN Money,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The Fury Road headliner is furious with the actor, whose Oscar dreams were famously dashed last month.—
Séraphine Roger,
Vanity Fair,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The judge was furious, setting Baldwin free.—
Meg James,
Los Angeles Times,
18 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
-
Spring is typically prime time for the housing market, but this year’s season is off to a rough start.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
22 Apr. 2026
-
The star also gets a rough ride from many of the elementary school interviewees that allows the unlikely gardening enthusiast to embrace his more familiar manchild.—
Jon O'Brien,
IndieWire,
22 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Rivera built Anahuacalli to house his collection of pre-Hispanic art in a volcanic-stone complex in southern Mexico City.—
Daniel Cassady,
ARTnews.com,
21 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,
19 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
On a clear night in the Steel City, chaos took hold as the first round of the NFL Draft revealed wrinkles unforeseen to tens of thousands of rabid fans in Pittsburgh.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
24 Apr. 2026
-
With even more of a cult following than Uncle Tupelo, Souled American seemed destined for an inauspicious legacy outside its small but rabid fan group.—
David Harris,
SPIN,
21 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 25 Apr. 2026.
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