tug-of-war
noun
plural tugs-of-war
1
: a struggle for supremacy or control usually involving two antagonists
2
: a contest in which two teams pull against each other at opposite ends of a rope with the object of pulling the middle of the rope over a mark on the ground
Synonyms
Examples of tug-of-war in a Sentence
the effort to get their teenage son to keep his room clean is a constant tug-of-war
Recent Examples on the Web
Events included dodgeball, tug-of-war and of course a flag football game.
—
Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2025
The tug-of-war raged all week over whether the Chinese startup’s efficient, lower-cost artificial intelligence model would reduce the need for as many of Nvidia ‘s hard-to-get and expensive AI chips, which are the best in show.
—Matthew J. Belvedere,kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 2 Feb. 2025
The key decision-makers in the White House and on Capitol Hill are like a person in the center of a four-way tug-of-war, in which giving a little in any one direction causes problems with the other three.
—Neil Irwin, Axios, 29 Jan. 2025
Schumer has put himself right in the middle of his caucus' tug-of-war over immigration.
—Stephen Neukam, Axios, 23 Jan. 2025
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Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 3 Feb. 2025
The tug-of-war raged all week over whether the Chinese startup’s efficient, lower-cost artificial intelligence model would reduce the need for as many of Nvidia ‘s hard-to-get and expensive AI chips, which are the best in show.
—Matthew J. Belvedere,kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC, 2 Feb. 2025
The key decision-makers in the White House and on Capitol Hill are like a person in the center of a four-way tug-of-war, in which giving a little in any one direction causes problems with the other three.
—Neil Irwin, Axios, 29 Jan. 2025
Schumer has put himself right in the middle of his caucus' tug-of-war over immigration.
—Stephen Neukam, Axios, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for tug-of-war
Dictionary Entries Near tug-of-war
Cite this Entry
“Tug-of-war.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tug-of-war. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
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