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
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for toe-to-toe
Adverb
-
Each round is decided by a head-to-head battle, with the infamous Randomizer wheel determining the required ingredients, cooking style, equipment and wild card element.—
Eva Remijan-Toba,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Mar. 2026 -
Dario Amodei, Anthropic’s chief executive, went head-to-head with the Pentagon in a high-stakes battle over AI safety.—
Auzinea Bacon,
CNN Money,
28 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Authorities said the head-on crash involved at least two vehicles and left one person dead.—
Brandon Downs,
CBS News,
21 Feb. 2026
-
The charges stem from a March 12, 2022, head-on collision that killed Carol Singer in the 24000 block of Woolsey Canyon Road, near Valley Circle Boulevard.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
19 Feb. 2026
Adverb
-
Zelenskyy has pushed for a summit with Russia's President Vladimir Putin, saying a face-to-face meeting could be decisive in unlocking an agreement, but the Kremlin has rebuffed that proposal beyond inviting the Ukrainian president to Moscow, which Zelenskyy refused.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
27 Feb. 2026
-
Zelenskyy has pushed for a summit with Russia's President Vladmir Putin, saying a face-to-face meeting could be decisive in unlocking an agreement, but the Kremlin has rebuffed that proposal beyond inviting the Ukrainian president to Moscow, which Zelenskyy refused.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
26 Feb. 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.
Cite this Entry
“Toe-to-toe.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toe-to-toe. Accessed 3 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
