locked horns

phrase

past tense of lock horns

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of locked horns When the paper’s management locked horns with workers during the 2024 strike, many staffers saw the use of AI to cut costs or counter labor actions as a betrayal of these principles. Milad Jalalian Ebrahimi, The Conversation, 29 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for locked horns
butted heads
Phrase
  • Ron Howard recalled working with John Wayne on 1976 film The Shootist, where the veteran actor butted heads with director Don Siegel.
    Marina Watts, Entertainment Weekly, 17 July 2026
  • Newman lived down the hall from Jerry, and the two often butted heads, worsened by Newman’s participation in Kramer’s wild schemes.
    Keith Langston, PEOPLE, 16 July 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Locked horns.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/locked%20horns. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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