toe-to-toe

adjective or adverb

: slugging it out at or as if at close range
a toe-to-toe confrontation over the new policy

Examples of toe-to-toe in a Sentence

mom-and-pop grocery stores are usually wildly outmatched when they go toe-to-toe with large chain stores
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.
More Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images Aroldis Chapman, RP, Boston Red Sox With offseason additions of Chapman, Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler and Alex Bregman, the Red Sox were expected to be going toe-to-toe with the New York Yankees atop the NL East. Andrew Wright, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 May 2025 People jump at the chance for a few reasons: the relatively short time commitment of one episode versus a series regular role, the chance to subvert their own persona by playing a killer and the promise of going toe-to-toe with Preston. Hunter Ingram, Variety, 28 May 2025 Although the men dominated the conversation, those marquee names went toe-to-toe with the males, twice as vigorous and swaggering. Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 27 May 2025 Shortly after, your romantic beliefs will be tested, as the sun goes toe-to-toe with Saturn and Neptune. Liz Simmons, StyleCaster, 27 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for toe-to-toe

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1942, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of toe-to-toe was circa 1942

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Cite this Entry

“Toe-to-toe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/toe-to-toe. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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