toe-to-toe
adjective or adverb
: slugging it out at or as if at close range
a toe-to-toe confrontation over the new policy
Synonyms
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
Imagine a hardcore Black gangsta rapper going toe-to-toe with a wild-eyed white indie rock freak in makeup and shiny black leather pants, as the two repeatedly, gleefully, refer to one another using racial slurs.
—
Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 21 May 2024
Nearly a century later, Hotel Alfonso XIII, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Seville remains a symbol of grandeur and glamour that easily goes toe-to-toe with the most spectacular stays in Barcelona and Madrid.
—Lindsay Cohn, Travel + Leisure, 20 May 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
Since then, she’s rolled with the Fast & Furious gang, joined the Maze Runner franchise and gone toe-to-toe with Kevin Hart in his Die Hart series.
—Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
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
This feud has shown Drake trying his hardest to go toe-to-toe with a true peer (as opposed to a challenger) for multiple bouts—and alienating a large swath of his would-be collaborators in hip-hop in the process.
—TIME, 7 May 2024
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
No Princess Diaries fan was surprised by the illustrious career Hathaway went on to have; her star power was immediately apparent, and going toe-to-toe with Andrews is no small feat.
—Chris Bellamy and Stephanie Kaloi, EW.com, 2 May 2024
Gil Kaufman, Billboard, 21 May 2024
Nearly a century later, Hotel Alfonso XIII, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Seville remains a symbol of grandeur and glamour that easily goes toe-to-toe with the most spectacular stays in Barcelona and Madrid.
—Lindsay Cohn, Travel + Leisure, 20 May 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
Since then, she’s rolled with the Fast & Furious gang, joined the Maze Runner franchise and gone toe-to-toe with Kevin Hart in his Die Hart series.
—Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019
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
This feud has shown Drake trying his hardest to go toe-to-toe with a true peer (as opposed to a challenger) for multiple bouts—and alienating a large swath of his would-be collaborators in hip-hop in the process.
—TIME, 7 May 2024
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
No Princess Diaries fan was surprised by the illustrious career Hathaway went on to have; her star power was immediately apparent, and going toe-to-toe with Andrews is no small feat.
—Chris Bellamy and Stephanie Kaloi, EW.com, 2 May 2024
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.
Dictionary Entries Near toe-to-toe
Cite this Entry
“Toe-to-toe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/toe-to-toe. Accessed 28 May. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share