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
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
After a years-long tug-of-war between bosses and workers over return-to-office mandates, millions of Americans have settled into a compromise: Hybrid work.
—Trey Williams, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2024
Meanwhile, the region has also increasingly become part of a larger tug-of-war between global powers like the U.S. and China as both countries seek to take advantage of the deep lithium stores.
—Megan Janetsky, Victor R. Caivano and Rodrigo Abd, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024
But as the legal tug-of-war rages, affirmative action continues to gain momentum in corporate America, where research begins to show that a diverse workforce is beneficial to the bottom line.
—Emma Kumer, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024
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
After a years-long tug-of-war between bosses and workers over return-to-office mandates, millions of Americans have settled into a compromise: Hybrid work.
—Trey Williams, Fortune, 22 Mar. 2024
Meanwhile, the region has also increasingly become part of a larger tug-of-war between global powers like the U.S. and China as both countries seek to take advantage of the deep lithium stores.
—Megan Janetsky, Victor R. Caivano and Rodrigo Abd, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024
But as the legal tug-of-war rages, affirmative action continues to gain momentum in corporate America, where research begins to show that a diverse workforce is beneficial to the bottom line.
—Emma Kumer, Washington Post, 9 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 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share