as in rivalry
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
the effort to get their teenage son to keep his room clean is a constant tug-of-war
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of tug-of-war
Sunday’s 9-4 finale win was more tug-of-war than Saturday’s 9-1 laugher, though.
—
Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 31 May 2026
Your disciplined patience turns this tug-of-war into structure by setting expectations early, delegating tasks where possible, and finishing the key task that moves results the most.
—Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 May 2026
The ensuing tug-of-war is driven by Karl’s second wife, Mallory (Jessy Hodges), another story accelerant in the guise of a person.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 20 May 2026
Interview with James Talarico The 10 or so months between the announcement of Colbert's cancellation and the actual finale have been a fascinating game of tug-of-war between the comedian and the higher powers at CBS.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tug-of-war
Gabrielle Starr, Boston Herald, 31 May 2026
Your disciplined patience turns this tug-of-war into structure by setting expectations early, delegating tasks where possible, and finishing the key task that moves results the most.
—Tarot.com, The Orlando Sentinel, 27 May 2026
The ensuing tug-of-war is driven by Karl’s second wife, Mallory (Jessy Hodges), another story accelerant in the guise of a person.
—Alison Herman, Variety, 20 May 2026
Interview with James Talarico The 10 or so months between the announcement of Colbert's cancellation and the actual finale have been a fascinating game of tug-of-war between the comedian and the higher powers at CBS.
—Kelly Lawler, USA Today, 20 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for tug-of-war
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tug-of-war
Noun
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For years, three MDC campuses competed against each other, and that rivalry was especially fierce and often heated for the baseball programs run by legendary coaches – Demie Mainieri at Dade-North; Charlie Greene at Dade-South/Kendall; and Hertz at Dade Downtown/Wolfson.—
Walter Villa,
Miami Herald,
8 Dec. 2025
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Behind the scenes, the Queen met with David Tennant, who plays Tony Baddingham, the ruthless director of a local television network in a heated rivalry with Tory MP Rupert Campbell-Black, played by Alex Hassell.—
Meredith Kile,
PEOPLE,
8 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
Mexico dominated, winning the possession battle 60% to 40%.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
12 June 2026
-
The Patriots had goals from Maya Feloney and Ava Bridgman, but the possession battle was firmly in NDA’s favor with the score being 5-2.—
Jack Murray,
Boston Herald,
11 June 2026
Noun
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The couple also has been open about their struggle with IVF in recent years.—
Emily St. Martin,
Los Angeles Times,
16 June 2026
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The family’s legal struggles have loomed large over the last several years, but Steven says two moments in particular stand out as the most difficult.—
Deirdre Durkan,
PEOPLE,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
Reality competition slipped to 45 from 50; unstructured reality rose to 38 from 36.—
Michael Schneider,
Variety,
12 June 2026
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The 2026 men’s World Cup group stage consists of 12 groups of four competing in round-robin competition, an increase of 16 teams from the last men’s World Cup.—
Boston Herald,
Boston Herald,
12 June 2026
Noun
-
Stillwater’s Casey Mork made nine saves in a scintillating goaltending duel with East Ridge counterpart Ryan Shanley, who stopped 11 shots.—
Tris Wykes,
Twin Cities,
11 June 2026
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Our last playoff game was also a pitcher’s duel.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
8 June 2026
Noun
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The platform’s open-architecture design allows mission modules to be swapped in roughly two hours, enabling rapid transitions between strike, transport, and electronic-warfare roles.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Dec. 2025
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Deep-seabed mining would also advance another Chinese security imperative by facilitating the mapping of the seabed and the laying of undersea cables that can be used in support of naval and submarine warfare.—
ELIZABETH ECONOMY,
Foreign Affairs,
9 Dec. 2025
Noun
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In other words, the current combination of US political tensions and global conflicts are driving more US nationals to seek new options overseas.—
Jessica Puckett,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 June 2026
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Notably, the Vikings haven’t been able to create this conflict.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
16 June 2026
Noun
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For now, Meloni has avoided direct confrontation, a strategy seen as both calculation and a bet that Vannacci’s momentum may fade.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 June 2026
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During the confrontation, a person pulled out a gun and fired several shots, hitting two people, according to police.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tug-of-war.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tug-of-war. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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