toe-to-toe

adjective or adverb

ˈtō-ˌtə-ˈtō 

: slugging it out at or as if at close range

a toe-to-toe confrontation over the new policy

Synonyms

• eyeball-to-eyeball
• face-to-face
• head-on
• head-to-head
• mano a mano
• one-on-one

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

Madrid’s cultural treasures stand toe-to-toe with the City of Lights and London and Rome and Amsterdam, but its tourist crowds are only a fraction of those places. —Chadd Scott, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024

This would not be the first time the Red Sox and Yankees went toe-to-toe for a free agent this offseason. —Joseph Epstein, Newsweek, 10 Dec. 2024

Eventually, Kraven became powerful enough to stand toe-to-toe with Spider-Man. —Josh Hammer, Newsweek, 3 Dec. 2024

The intense first half of the episode saw Clark (Tyler Hoechlin) go toe-to-toe with not only Michael Cudlitz’s Lex Luthor but also defeat Doomsday, with the help of his sons Jordan (Alexander Garfin) and Jonathan (Michael Bishop). —Katie Campione, Deadline, 2 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1942, in the meaning defined above