Definition of toe-to-toenext
as in head-to-head
in direct confrontation or competition mom-and-pop grocery stores are usually wildly outmatched when they go toe-to-toe with large chain stores

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for toe-to-toe
Adverb
  • Two of the defending champions — Marist and Jefferson — will go head-to-head in Class 5A this year after Jefferson moved up one level during the GHSA’s most recent reclassification.
    Chip Saye, AJC.com, 30 July 2026
  • Yet few studies have pitted them against each other — and this summer brought a high-profile head-to-head.
    Katie Palmer, STAT, 29 July 2026
Adverb
  • Whichever the case, the stuff needs to be dealt with head-on, and there’s no better time to do so than in the present.
    Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 June 2026
  • Volvo shared some new crash footage with Popular Science, showing how their design choices protect drivers even during head-on moose collisions.
    Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 18 June 2026
Adverb
  • That puts additional weight on the value of the face-to-face interview — one of the last remaining stages of the hiring process that can’t be automated.
    Cami Fateh, Vogue, 22 July 2026
  • Nolan’s latest film, The Odyssey, includes horror scenes in which the Greek hero Odysseus (Matt Damon) and his men come face-to-face with a cyclops, as well as the witch Circe (Samantha Morton), in a moment that embodies body horror.
    Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 21 July 2026
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Toe-to-toe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toe-to-toe. Accessed 4 Aug. 2026.

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