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
the effort to get their teenage son to keep his room clean is a constant tug-of-war
Recent Examples on the Web
In the tech industry, there is always a tug-of-war between investing in new product features to attract new customer segments and improving existing offerings to increase upselling.
—
Expert Panel®, Forbes, 19 Sep. 2024
For anyone who wants to engage in both games, there’s a constant tug-of-war to perform well in each simultaneously.
—Chris Edgerton, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2024
Shortly after, the sun will make a direct opposition to Saturn, triggering a tug-of-war between your professional aspirations and personal responsibilities.
—Valerie Mesa, Peoplemag, 4 Sep. 2024
Every nucleus lives in a tense tug-of-war between two of nature’s forces.
—Quanta Magazine, 4 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tug-of-war 
Expert Panel®, Forbes, 19 Sep. 2024
For anyone who wants to engage in both games, there’s a constant tug-of-war to perform well in each simultaneously.
—Chris Edgerton, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2024
Shortly after, the sun will make a direct opposition to Saturn, triggering a tug-of-war between your professional aspirations and personal responsibilities.
—Valerie Mesa, Peoplemag, 4 Sep. 2024
Every nucleus lives in a tense tug-of-war between two of nature’s forces.
—Quanta Magazine, 4 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for tug-of-war
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 2 Oct. 2024.
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