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
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Sinner trimmed Alcaraz’s head-to-head lead to 10-7 in clinching his 27th career title overall and his first Masters title on clay.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026 -
In the competitive landscape, the model is expected to go head-to-head with rivals such as the Geely Galaxy M9, a large plug-in hybrid SUV that has already demonstrated strong early market traction with more than 11,000 deliveries in just the first two months of the year.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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One accelerant of America’s decline as a superpower will be that former allies will look elsewhere for their safety, while adversaries will recalculate the right time to challenge Washington head-on.—
Andreas Kluth,
Twin Cities,
14 Apr. 2026
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The Ford then collided head-on with a Lincoln MKX, the sheriff's office said.—
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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There were a number of meetings, including Lively and Baldoni meeting face-to-face in a Manhattan courtroom a couple months ago.—
Dominic Patten,
Deadline,
6 Apr. 2026
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Many participants had spent months competing against one another online before meeting face-to-face for the first time.—
Tracy Yochum,
Miami Herald,
6 Apr. 2026
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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 15 Apr. 2026.
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