as in full steam ahead
with all power or resources being used
I'll fight tooth and nail to win the finals
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Recent Examples of tooth and nail
Decrepit office buildings and flophouse hotels have been remade into pricey lofts and townhouses, the coolest address being where prizefighters Depp and Heard went at it tooth and nail, an art deco masterpiece called the Eastern Guardian Building, with its eerie clock tower and greenish glow.
—
David Weiss, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
Liberals are furious with that advice, saying the real backlash will occur if Democrats don’t fight tooth and nail against mass deportations, many of them taking place without any semblance of judicial screening.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 12 May 2025
The minority leader embodies a far more scripted and cautious messaging approach, sometimes to the detriment of progressives yearning to fight tooth and nail against Trump’s overhaul of the federal government.
—Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 31 Mar. 2025
Teachers unions and big-city bureaucracies fight tooth and nail to maintain the failing status quo, even as generations of students are left behind.
—Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tooth and nail
David Weiss, Forbes.com, 19 May 2025
Liberals are furious with that advice, saying the real backlash will occur if Democrats don’t fight tooth and nail against mass deportations, many of them taking place without any semblance of judicial screening.
—Mike Lillis, The Hill, 12 May 2025
The minority leader embodies a far more scripted and cautious messaging approach, sometimes to the detriment of progressives yearning to fight tooth and nail against Trump’s overhaul of the federal government.
—Ramsey Touchberry, The Washington Examiner, 31 Mar. 2025
Teachers unions and big-city bureaucracies fight tooth and nail to maintain the failing status quo, even as generations of students are left behind.
—Matt Robison, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for tooth and nail
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tooth and nail
all out
Adverb
-
Izzy’s Fish and Oyster, a modern eatery in the heart of the River District is an excellent place to go all out by ordering a seafood tower or diving into creative dishes like Coconut & Macadamia Crusted Triple Tail with coconut rice, green papaya, and red curry sauce.—
Tara Massouleh McCay,
Southern Living,
20 July 2025
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In a full-time long relief role, Newcomb appears to have hit his stride, with a 2.70 ERA in 15 outings, all out of the bullpen, for the team that now plays in West Sacramento, California.—
Jon Vankin,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tooth and nail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tooth%20and%20nail. Accessed 25 Jul. 2025.
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