as in rivalry
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
the effort to get their teenage son to keep his room clean is a constant tug-of-war
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Recent Examples of tug-of-war
Later this year, the DES collaboration plans to publish observations of how galaxies and matter have clustered over the eons, a process that reflects the tug-of-war between gravity’s pull and dark energy’s push.
—
Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 19 Mar. 2025
In New York, state officials, advocates and the health care provider community have been engaged in a policy tug-of-war over efforts to protect consumers.
—Michelle Andrews, NPR, 17 Mar. 2025
Boston’s mayoral race and the state Auditor’s tug-of-war with the state Legislature is teed-up for jokes at Sunday’s St. Patrick’s Day breakfast.
—Boston Herald Staff, Boston Herald, 14 Mar. 2025
The answer will depend on the tug-of-war between an administration intent on upending the status quo and those fighting to preserve a federal role in public education.
—Shahar Ziv, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tug-of-war
Charlie Wood, Quanta Magazine, 19 Mar. 2025
In New York, state officials, advocates and the health care provider community have been engaged in a policy tug-of-war over efforts to protect consumers.
—Michelle Andrews, NPR, 17 Mar. 2025
Boston’s mayoral race and the state Auditor’s tug-of-war with the state Legislature is teed-up for jokes at Sunday’s St. Patrick’s Day breakfast.
—Boston Herald Staff, Boston Herald, 14 Mar. 2025
The answer will depend on the tug-of-war between an administration intent on upending the status quo and those fighting to preserve a federal role in public education.
—Shahar Ziv, Forbes, 13 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for tug-of-war
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tug-of-war
Noun
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Ricky Steamboat From Clash Of The Champions 6 The intense rivalry between Ricky Steamboat and Flair produced some of the most celebrated matches in professional wrestling history.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2025
-
The sports drama, inspired by the real-life rivalry between Go masters Cho Hun-hyun and Lee Chang-ho, earned $3.5 million from 544,259 admissions, securing 61.74% of the weekend market share, according to Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
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And maybe the downfall is that Lex has decided what's right between those two and which should win out, whereas Superman and Lois are in a constant battle about what is right, so they each get checked by the other.—
Mike Miller,
EW.com,
2 Apr. 2025
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Despite being a nonpartisan race, the Badger State contest served as a national proxy battle for Democratic officials and progressive groups, who are grasping at any glimmer of hope amid Trump 2.0's dominance in Washington that has expanded to other parts of the country and culture.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Not having to make payments might be a relief to those who are experiencing any financial struggles.—
Annie Nova,
CNBC,
6 Apr. 2025
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As much as anything tactical, Guardiola also has to pick the players that are in any kind of form and that has been the bigger challenge for a lot of this season, considering the struggles of De Bruyne, Gundogan, Foden, Bernardo, Kovacic, etc.—
Carl Anka,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Start before your competition Start looking before your competition heats up.—
Phil Blair,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Mar. 2025
-
The commission has sought to bolster E.U. e-commerce sales competition while targeting companies selling unsafe and counterfeit products.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
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With a brewing 60 meter sprint race between NFL champion Tyreek Hill and Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles locked in for sometime later this year, conversations have been running amok as to whether the crossover duel will actually field a competitive race.—
Cory Mull,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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Snell duels with Tarik Skubal, the incumbent AL Triple-Crowner and last year’s unanimous AL Cy Young.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Defense stocks have typically been excluded from portfolios based on environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors due to ethical concerns over the sector’s association with warfare.—
Sam Meredith,
CNBC,
2 Apr. 2025
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The Time for Action Is Now Every new era of warfare demands institutional reinvention.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The Space Force is also interested in responsive launch capabilities, in-orbit refueling, and most recently, offensive weapons that could take out an adversary's satellites during a conflict.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
27 Mar. 2025
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North Korea has sent approximately 11,000 military personnel to fight alongside Russia in the war against Ukraine in its first involvement in a large-scale conflict since the 1950-53 Korean War.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
27 Mar. 2025
Noun
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An eyewitness told police that the confrontation between the two boys began when Metcalf asked Anthony to move out from under the tent that had been set up for members of his high school track team on the field that day.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
6 Apr. 2025
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There is a humiliation that is at play with the ankle monitor, and then the confrontation with Chad happening at my workplace is kind of her nightmare.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
4 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Tug-of-war.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tug-of-war. Accessed 10 Apr. 2025.
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