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
  • 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
  • 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
  • Each is an athlete, painstakingly trained over decades to go toe-to-toe with Europe’s finest.
    Bob Sorokanich, Robb Report, 20 Dec. 2023
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • By going toe-to-toe with the trio at the same time, the union may be expressing a wish to convince non-unionized plant workers that the group truly has the power to improve their lives.
    Bychristiaan Hetzner, Fortune, 18 Sep. 2023
  • Ava went toe-to-toe with her sorority sister nemesis Crystal, played by Tatyana Ali, in episode eight this season.
    Brande Victorian, The Hollywood Reporter, 17 Apr. 2024
  • The two ended up toe-to-toe and then wrestling in the infield dirt at Shea Stadium, triggering a wild, bench-clearing brawl that spilled into the outfield.
    Staff and Wire Reports, The Mercury News, 12 Jan. 2024
  • Bianca’s story is as fascinating and thrilling as Damian and Adonis going toe-to-toe in the ring.
    Kathleen Newman-Bremang, refinery29.com, 6 Mar. 2023
  • Creator Clash 2 featured a dozen boxing matches with some of the top social media influencers going toe-to-toe in the ring to see who can put the mouse down and pick up the gloves and fight.
    Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 16 Apr. 2023
  • Going toe-to-toe with Trump on insults never ends well for anyone—just ask Marco Rubio.
    Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 10 Aug. 2023
  • Going toe-to-toe with Nvidia on performance would be difficult.
    IEEE Spectrum, 9 Jan. 2024
  • What a perfect battle here with two of Cincy's biggest breweries going toe-to-toe with their flagship IPAs.
    Rasputin Todd, The Enquirer, 16 Mar. 2023
  • Rodriguez goes toe-to-toe with Cole Pitching opposite Cole was nothing new for Rodriguez.
    Jacob Calvin Meyer, Baltimore Sun, 29 July 2023
  • These siblings go toe-to-toe As for Emma Trenchard, who picks up crayons with her toes, she's always felt close to her older brother Tommy.
    Ari Daniel, NPR, 3 May 2024
  • DeBoer pointed out the physicality of the six games against the Minnesota Wild followed by the toll of going toe-to-toe with the Kraken for seven games.
    Joseph Hoyt, Dallas News, 16 May 2023
  • Alana Haim goes toe-to-toe with Cooper in her debut role, balancing out his boisterous shaggy mess of a Hollywood icon.
    Eric Farwell, EW.com, 8 Mar. 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.

Last Updated: