: an equivalent given in return (as for an injury) : retaliation in kind
tit-for-tat adjective

Examples of tit for tat 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.
The United States and China spent this week going tit for tat in an escalating trade war. Haisten Willis, The Washington Examiner, 11 Apr. 2025 But Trump and China continued raising the tariffs in a tit for tat. Associated Press, Time, 11 Apr. 2025 President Donald Trump will hit China with 104% tariffs starting at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday – escalating a tit for tat between the two countries. Rebecca Morin, USA Today, 8 Apr. 2025 Trump’s threat is the latest tit for tat between the U.S. and China in the last week. Brett Samuels, The Hill, 7 Apr. 2025 But Senate Republicans are fretting that if the tariff tit for tat isn’t resolved — and quickly — both Trump and American consumers will feel the pinch. Al Weaver, The Hill, 11 Mar. 2025 Trump’s tariff tit for tat with Canada President Donald Trump on Tuesday escalated a trade war with Canada - and then walked it back. Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2025 Even if a lasting tariff deal with Canada and Mexico materializes, the tit for tat with China is likely just ramping up. Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 5 Mar. 2025 The Biden administration, despite its recent raid in northern Syria, insists on not being drawn into a tit for tat with Iran and its proxies’ recurring attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria. Amos Yadlin, Foreign Affairs, 18 Feb. 2022

Word History

Etymology

alteration of earlier tip for tap, from tip (blow) + for + tap

First Known Use

1556, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tit for tat was in 1556

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tit for tat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tit%20for%20tat. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.

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