How to Use toe-to-toe in a Sentence

toe-to-toe

adjective or adverb
  • This isn’t the first time that Temu and Shein have gone toe-to-toe in court.
    Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 15 Dec. 2023
  • But that wing isn’t strong enough to go toe-to-toe against Trump.
    Bridget Bowman, NBC News, 29 Nov. 2023
  • And the action in the final half hour, when Graf goes for broke, can go toe-to-toe with the best.
    Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2024
  • The two have gone toe-to-toe at the state meet each of the past three years, with Willis winning once and Rathke twice.
    Kyle Newman, The Denver Post, 15 May 2024
  • This girl called her a hack and spoke truth to her and went toe-to-toe with her and was funny.
    Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 8 Aug. 2024
  • Meanwhile, Bob and Linda go toe-to-toe with a wine snob (Matt Walsh).
    Lillian Brown, Vulture, 17 May 2024
  • Doing so, and going toe-to-toe with the status quo, is risky.
    Hayes Gardner, Baltimore Sun, 29 Mar. 2023
  • Its action scenes could go toe-to-toe with those of, say, a Jason Bourne movie.
    WIRED, 24 Mar. 2023
  • Derwin is certainly one of the few guys that has gone toe-to-toe and can meet that matchup.
    Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2023
  • There are few actors who can go toe-to-toe with Jack Nicholson.
    Vogue, 10 Sep. 2024
  • James, seeded 12th in the field, went toe-to-toe with Kingsland, going 1-up on the seventh hole.
    From Staff Reports, Hartford Courant, 17 Aug. 2023
  • Tonight was the quarter-finals, and, as usual, the two celebrities with the least amount of votes went toe-to-toe in a smackdown.
    Lars Brandle, Billboard, 9 May 2024
  • Two people stand toe-to-toe and pummel each other bloody.
    Stayton Bonner, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2024
  • For the second time in less than a week, the Hartford Yard Goats went toe-to-toe with one of the best pitchers in major league baseball.
    Kels Dayton, Hartford Courant, 9 June 2024
  • Kim Kardashian will go toe-to-toe with a pair of Hollywood greats.
    Keisha Hatchett, TVLine, 8 July 2024
  • Each is an athlete, painstakingly trained over decades to go toe-to-toe with Europe’s finest.
    Bob Sorokanich, Robb Report, 20 Dec. 2023
  • Fritz tried to go toe-to-toe with Sinner from the baseline but couldn’t quite hang with his concussive power.
    Adam Zagoria, Forbes, 8 Sep. 2024
  • Custom toe-to-toe beds were built along the length of a wall, maximizing utility and adding charm.
    Jessica Cherner, House Beautiful, 10 May 2023
  • Right-hander Luis Severino went toe-to-toe with Castillo for the first four innings.
    Abbey Mastracco, New York Daily News, 12 Aug. 2024
  • Carmel senior center Keira Ackerson goes toe-to-toe with tough opponents on the court all the time.
    Bobby Narang, Chicago Tribune, 29 Jan. 2024
  • For nearly two quarters, the Detroit Pistons went toe-to-toe with the defending champs.
    Omari Sankofa Ii, Detroit Free Press, 8 Jan. 2024
  • North Texas went toe-to-toe with FAU during the regular season, losing both games by four points.
    Christopher Kuhagen, Journal Sentinel, 28 Mar. 2023
  • Biden looked his age and seemed unable to go toe-to-toe with former president Donald Trump.
    Leigh Ann Caldwell, Washington Post, 28 June 2024
  • But China has become a bigger headache, raising the prospect of heavyweight navies going toe-to-toe.
    Lawrence Specker | Lspecker@al.com, al, 16 June 2023
  • Intense action bits bringing you toe-to-toe with giant troll-like monsters and eerie cultists?
    Antonio G. Di Benedetto, The Verge, 24 Mar. 2023
  • Brittany Furlan Lee is willing to go toe-to-toe with a wild animal to protect her fur babies.
    Shania Russell, EW.com, 25 Sep. 2024
  • Google is going toe-to-toe with Apple, which usually supports its iPhones for six to seven years.
    WIRED, 4 Oct. 2023
  • Elizabeth goes toe-to-toe with Catherine and is a woman of style, wit and experience.
    Joe Otterson, Variety, 6 Mar. 2024
  • The expectations are really high, based on going to the playoffs and being able to go toe-to-toe with Thompson.
    Mike Perrin | , al, 7 Sep. 2023
  • Vance has embraced every opportunity to go toe-to-toe with challengers.
    Max Thornberry, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 3 Oct. 2024

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'toe-to-toe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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