: marked by ruthless self-interest
dog-eat-dog competition

Examples of dog-eat-dog in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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.
Which is great, because a match-up like that would be the definition of dog-eat-dog; the survival of the least unfit. Phil Hay, New York Times, 2 May 2025 The world is dog-eat-dog, and the United States needs to assert itself as the biggest dog. Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 1 May 2025 In a dog-eat-dog world, especially in North America, especially in the United States, everything moves very fast. Joan Michelson, Forbes.com, 1 May 2025 Trump made his name as a builder, a mogul in the dog-eat-dog world of New York real estate. Mark K. Updegrove, Time, 29 Apr. 2025 Ballard blamed himself for not cultivating a more dog-eat-dog mentality throughout the entire roster. James Boyd, The Athletic, 24 Feb. 2025 Capitalism and social interaction tend to be the same kind of cat and mouse games, or for another species analogy, a dog-eat-dog world. John Werner, Forbes, 16 Jan. 2025 Some may frown upon these metaphors, but the reality is that business is, to some extent, a dog-eat-dog competition. Zain Jaffer, Forbes, 13 Jan. 2025 With its original plans to host 100, Silver says the event is now expected to field a crowd of 350, underscoring his increasing influence in the dog-eat-dog world of college basketball recruiting. Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 3 Sep. 2019

Word History

First Known Use

1834, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dog-eat-dog was in 1834

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Cite this Entry

“Dog-eat-dog.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dog-eat-dog. Accessed 11 May. 2025.

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