tit for tat

noun phrase

ˌtit-fər-ˈtat 

: 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

Trump’s tariff tit for tat with Canada President Donald Trump on Tuesday escalated a trade war with Canada - and then walked it back. —Rebecca Morin, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2025

Even if a lasting tariff deal with Canada and Mexico materializes, the tit for tat with China is likely just ramping up. —Alexis Simendinger, The Hill, 5 Mar. 2025

The Biden administration, despite its recent raid in northern Syria, insists on not being drawn into a tit for tat with Iran and its proxies’ recurring attacks on U.S. bases in Iraq and Syria. —Amos Yadlin, Foreign Affairs, 18 Feb. 2022

The tit for tat marked the latest in a global trade war that intensified a day earlier, when China slapped retaliatory tariffs on the U.S., deepening trade tensions between the world’s two largest economies. —Max Zahn, ABC News, 11 Mar. 2025

Also, practically any time tariffs are imposed, regardless of the types of goods in question, this results in a tit for tat exchange of tariff penalties which ultimately affect the end-user. —Joshua P. Cohen, Forbes, 3 Mar. 2025

The canceled press conference comes amid a tit for tat between Trump and Zelensky. —Laura Kelly, The Hill, 20 Feb. 2025

For Canada and Mexico, the tariff tit for tat could push both of those economies into a recession. —Jill Schlesinger, The Mercury News, 10 Feb. 2025

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

Word History

Etymology

alteration of earlier tip for tap, from tip (blow) + for + tap

First Known Use

1556, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tit for tat

• acrobat
• autocrat
• automat
• bundesrat
• bureaucrat
• butterfat
• caveat
• chemostat
• copycat
• cryostat
• democrat
• diplomat