variants
or knock-down-and-drag-out
as in fierce
marked by bursts of destructive force or intense activity
the football game was a knock-down, drag-out battle between bitter rivals
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of knock-down, drag-out
This was a knock-down, drag-out fight — the kind of match that would make for excellent watching when Marvel Snap tournaments are up and running.
—
Ash Parrish, The Verge, 31 Jan. 2023
Last week’s knock-down, drag-out fight could just be the first of many this session as GOP lawmakers grapple with government spending, the debt ceiling and the situation at the border.
—Dallas News, 10 Jan. 2023
But both performers rode their SNL success to Hollywood superstardom, in turn validating the audience's appetite for inspired silliness and knock-down, drag-out belly-laughs.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 13 Dec. 2022
As much as the streaming wars can feel like a knock-down, drag-out fight, Amazon can spend time on the ropes because streaming isn’t its core business.
—Angela Watercutter, Wired, 18 Mar. 2022
But rather than a knock-down, drag-out fight to the finish, this series is all about empowerment.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 17 Feb. 2022
However, leaping in expecting an argument to become a knock-down, drag-out fight isn't the best way to go about your life.
—Tarot Astrologers, chicagotribune.com, 9 Feb. 2022
Its climactic scenes are the same as any classically satisfying sports movie’s: athletes (in this case, young Venus) making decisions about themselves, their worth, their futures, and bringing those notions to bear in a knock-down, drag-out match.
—K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone, 19 Nov. 2021
The show features all the beats of a rom-com (an onion-like peeling of layers, a knock-down, drag-out fight, a grand, loving gesture that attempts to soothe it all) and even pays homage to a few of the genre mainstays.
—BostonGlobe.com, 15 Sep. 2021
Ash Parrish, The Verge, 31 Jan. 2023
Last week’s knock-down, drag-out fight could just be the first of many this session as GOP lawmakers grapple with government spending, the debt ceiling and the situation at the border.
—Dallas News, 10 Jan. 2023
But both performers rode their SNL success to Hollywood superstardom, in turn validating the audience's appetite for inspired silliness and knock-down, drag-out belly-laughs.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 13 Dec. 2022
As much as the streaming wars can feel like a knock-down, drag-out fight, Amazon can spend time on the ropes because streaming isn’t its core business.
—Angela Watercutter, Wired, 18 Mar. 2022
But rather than a knock-down, drag-out fight to the finish, this series is all about empowerment.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 17 Feb. 2022
However, leaping in expecting an argument to become a knock-down, drag-out fight isn't the best way to go about your life.
—Tarot Astrologers, chicagotribune.com, 9 Feb. 2022
Its climactic scenes are the same as any classically satisfying sports movie’s: athletes (in this case, young Venus) making decisions about themselves, their worth, their futures, and bringing those notions to bear in a knock-down, drag-out match.
—K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone, 19 Nov. 2021
The show features all the beats of a rom-com (an onion-like peeling of layers, a knock-down, drag-out fight, a grand, loving gesture that attempts to soothe it all) and even pays homage to a few of the genre mainstays.
—BostonGlobe.com, 15 Sep. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knock-down, drag-out
Adjective
-
Veteran San Diego actor Rosina Reynolds is the cast standout in her icy, fierce and acerbic performance as the uncompromising Polly.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
10 Feb. 2025
-
Kyiv has often reported the fiercest clashes taking place in the oblast.—
Ellie Cook,
Newsweek,
9 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
Long before 17-year-old Solomon Henderson walked into his school cafeteria with a gun, authorities in Tennessee were alerted to his threatening and violent behavior.—
Aliyya Swaby,
ProPublica,
8 Feb. 2025
-
Byrd rose in the ranks of the gang during his time in federal prison and because of his violent behavior, he was moved from one federal prison to another, authorities said.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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It was destroyed in the Eaton Fire, which spread at ferocious speeds in high winds, eventually destroying more than 9,000 houses and buildings around Altadena, Calif.—
Lauren Sommer,
NPR,
23 Jan. 2025
-
Hudson’s father, Cecil, a logger, had a ferocious temper that scared even his own parents, who lived nearby.—
Eileen Finan,
People.com,
18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
-
Rucks came up with an offensive rebound before drawing a foul and splitting a pair of free throws with 1:37 left to set up the final furious sequence.—
Chuck Livingston Special to the Democrat-Gazette,
arkansasonline.com,
8 Feb. 2025
-
It was met with furious pushback, public outcry, and a string of defeats in court.—
Vox Staff,
Vox,
7 Feb. 2025
Adjective
-
The geothermal area is far from the crowded Golden Circle and offers hikers the chance to experience surreal volcanic landscapes and soak in secluded geothermal pools.—
Becca Blond,
AFAR Media,
5 Feb. 2025
-
Thousands of residents and seasonal workers have left the Cycladic Islands as quakes up to magnitude 5 have been recorded in the volcanic region since Friday.—
Derek Gatopoulos,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2025
Adjective
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Nashville's Bad Idea is a wine bar and restaurant set in a former Presbyterian church that fell into disrepair after a vicious tornado.—
USA TODAY,
USA TODAY,
13 Feb. 2025
-
By the time Hezbollah launched its bombardment of Israel in solidarity with Hamas' vicious attack on Israel, the militant Lebanese organization had managed to build a significant military capability under the nose of UNFIL and was more robust than ever before.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
13 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near knock-down, drag-out
Cite this Entry
“Knock-down, drag-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knock-down%2C%20drag-out. Accessed 21 Feb. 2025.
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