as in full steam ahead
with all power or resources being used
I'll fight tooth and nail to win the finals
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
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.
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
-
Using fewer bits was thought to require more steps—like alphabetizing your books by swapping them one by one on the shelf instead of pulling them all out and reshelving them.—
Max Springer,
Scientific American,
27 June 2025
-
Below, though, is how the three-season hit series actually ended — and the surprise came that closed it all out.—
Matt Webb Mitovich,
TVLine,
27 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tooth and nail.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tooth%20and%20nail. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share