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
-
Miami has been the less consistent team, but the head-to-head results have to matter.—
Chris Vannini,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025 -
The Nittany Lions owned a 25-2 record in head-to-head battles.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
More recently, Mamdani tackled the Islamophobic attacks against him head-on, with a heartfelt message that drew comparisons to Obama's race speech.—
Ben Adler,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Then only weeks later, Eugene was badly injured when his car was struck head-on by another vehicle that crossed the median on a two-lane highway.—
Liz Rothaus Bertrand,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Oct. 2025
Adverb
-
When Carrington and Dina sit down face-to-face to negotiate Allura’s divorce, Dina brings up Chase’s relationship with Maria as a means to blackmail him.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Over the past 15 years, face-to-face socialization has declined precipitously.—
Damon Beres,
The Atlantic,
5 Nov. 2025
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 20 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share