toe-to-toe

adjective or adverb

ˈtō-ˌtə-ˈtō 

: slugging it out at or as if at close range

a toe-to-toe confrontation over the new policy

Synonyms

• eyeball-to-eyeball
• face-to-face
• head-on
• head-to-head
• mano a mano
• one-on-one

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

But successfully going toe-to-toe at Anfield must be a psychological boost. —Phil Hay, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025

Lobo would emerge as a massive fan-favorite character in DC comics, often going toe-to-toe with Superman through the years. —George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024

Ukraine’s ability to scale up this domestic industry has put it toe-to-toe with Russia, once thought to have the most impressive EW program in the world. —Justin Ling, WIRED, 23 Dec. 2024

Madrid’s cultural treasures stand toe-to-toe with the City of Lights and London and Rome and Amsterdam, but its tourist crowds are only a fraction of those places. —Chadd Scott, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

circa 1942, in the meaning defined above