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
Recent Examples on the Web
When Paris first hosted in 1900, croquet and tug-of-war were featured (that was croquet’s only Olympics appearance, while tug-of-war was featured five more times until the Games in Antwerp, Belgium, in 1920).
—
Matthew Grimson, NBC News, 17 Apr. 2024
Play non-aggressive games such as fetch rather than tug-of-war.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 12 Apr. 2024
The naming tug-of-war is raising friction between two of the Bay Area’s three major airports — neither of which are located in San Francisco.
—Kristin J. Bender, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024
Inflation has sparked other tug-of-war battles between grocers and brands.
—Alex Wood Morton, Fortune Europe, 9 Apr. 2024
Jonathan Macey, a professor at Yale Law School, said this divide helps explain the tug-of-war in the marketplace.
—Matt Egan, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
Gingerbread is known to enjoy the games of Frisbee, tug-of-war and fetch.
—Teryn Jones and, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2024
In the trailer, the women go through everything, from oiling up their partners to a tug-of-war style strength competition to earn time with the man of their choosing.
—Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 1 Apr. 2024
Many of us feel this internal tug-of-war on our Mediterranean journeys: hedonism versus curiosity.
—Tony Perrottet, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Mar. 2024
Matthew Grimson, NBC News, 17 Apr. 2024
Play non-aggressive games such as fetch rather than tug-of-war.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 12 Apr. 2024
The naming tug-of-war is raising friction between two of the Bay Area’s three major airports — neither of which are located in San Francisco.
—Kristin J. Bender, The Mercury News, 8 Apr. 2024
Inflation has sparked other tug-of-war battles between grocers and brands.
—Alex Wood Morton, Fortune Europe, 9 Apr. 2024
Jonathan Macey, a professor at Yale Law School, said this divide helps explain the tug-of-war in the marketplace.
—Matt Egan, CNN, 9 Apr. 2024
Gingerbread is known to enjoy the games of Frisbee, tug-of-war and fetch.
—Teryn Jones and, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2024
In the trailer, the women go through everything, from oiling up their partners to a tug-of-war style strength competition to earn time with the man of their choosing.
—Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 1 Apr. 2024
Many of us feel this internal tug-of-war on our Mediterranean journeys: hedonism versus curiosity.
—Tony Perrottet, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tug-of-war.' 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 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 27 Apr. 2024.
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