: 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.
Still, as the tit for tat between Iran and Israel showed, war is almost never inevitable. Erik Lin-Greenberg, Foreign Affairs, 8 Oct. 2024 Amid tit for tat calls for accountability during heated exchanges between Thornton Township trustees and Supervisor Tiffany Henyard, officials approved audits of all township departments along with a former official’s credit card during a board meeting Tuesday evening. Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2024 Zoom out: Any move to kick Republicans off committees would be a continuation of a tit for tat that has roiled the last two congressional terms. Andrew Solender, Axios, 19 Sep. 2024 The legal tit for tat between the Biden administration and Republican state attorneys general trying to take down the program is not expected to end any time soon. Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 25 June 2024 China might well stand on Russia’s side in this economic tit for tat. Liana Fix, Foreign Affairs, 18 Feb. 2022 Legality aside, such moves feel tit for tat, so that each change of government might feel like a revolution. Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Feb. 2024 The tit for tat that had led to the assassination had included the killing of a U.S. contractor, but no U.S. soldiers. Arash Azizi, The Atlantic, 30 Jan. 2024 These are tit for tat attacks that have been taking place on either side of the Iran-Pakistan border. Dana Taylor, USA TODAY, 22 Jan. 2024

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

Dictionary Entries Near tit for tat

Cite this Entry

“Tit for tat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tit%20for%20tat. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

More from Merriam-Webster on tit for tat

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!