tit for tat
noun phrase
: an equivalent given in return (as for an injury) : retaliation in kind
tit-for-tat
adjective
Examples of tit for tat in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
By lowering the threshold for direct strikes, the tit for tat has boosted the odds that the two most powerful states in the Middle East will fight a full-scale war—one that could draw in the United States and have a devastating effect on the region and the global economy.
—
Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2024
The two went tit for tat, opening each other up and causing a lot of bleeding in the ring.
—Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 6 Oct. 2024
Still, as the tit for tat between Iran and Israel showed, war is almost never inevitable.
—Erik Lin-Greenberg, Foreign Affairs, 8 Oct. 2024
Amid tit for tat calls for accountability during heated exchanges between Thornton Township trustees and Supervisor Tiffany Henyard, officials approved audits of all township departments along with a former official’s credit card during a board meeting Tuesday evening.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2024
Zoom out: Any move to kick Republicans off committees would be a continuation of a tit for tat that has roiled the last two congressional terms.
—Andrew Solender, Axios, 19 Sep. 2024
The legal tit for tat between the Biden administration and Republican state attorneys general trying to take down the program is not expected to end any time soon.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 25 June 2024
China might well stand on Russia’s side in this economic tit for tat.
—Liana Fix, Foreign Affairs, 18 Feb. 2022
Legality aside, such moves feel tit for tat, so that each change of government might feel like a revolution.
—Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Feb. 2024
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Suzanne Maloney, Foreign Affairs, 10 Dec. 2024
The two went tit for tat, opening each other up and causing a lot of bleeding in the ring.
—Ryan Gaydos, Fox News, 6 Oct. 2024
Still, as the tit for tat between Iran and Israel showed, war is almost never inevitable.
—Erik Lin-Greenberg, Foreign Affairs, 8 Oct. 2024
Amid tit for tat calls for accountability during heated exchanges between Thornton Township trustees and Supervisor Tiffany Henyard, officials approved audits of all township departments along with a former official’s credit card during a board meeting Tuesday evening.
—Olivia Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 25 Sep. 2024
Zoom out: Any move to kick Republicans off committees would be a continuation of a tit for tat that has roiled the last two congressional terms.
—Andrew Solender, Axios, 19 Sep. 2024
The legal tit for tat between the Biden administration and Republican state attorneys general trying to take down the program is not expected to end any time soon.
—Zachary Schermele, USA TODAY, 25 June 2024
China might well stand on Russia’s side in this economic tit for tat.
—Liana Fix, Foreign Affairs, 18 Feb. 2022
Legality aside, such moves feel tit for tat, so that each change of government might feel like a revolution.
—Lenora Chu, The Christian Science Monitor, 20 Feb. 2024
Dictionary Entries Near tit for tat
Cite this Entry
“Tit for tat.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tit%20for%20tat. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.
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