How to Use battle/clash of wills in a Sentence

battle/clash of wills

noun phrase
  • In a battle of wills, Campbell fought to keep the shark on the line and reel it in.
    Shannon Larson, BostonGlobe.com, 19 Jan. 2023
  • Her constant battle of wills with the head nurse led to her leaving.
    Patricia Sullivan, Washington Post, 12 Aug. 2022
  • His words, not mine. So, props to Hai for standing strong and winning that battle of wills.
    Dalton Ross, EW.com, 24 Mar. 2022
  • Dating can be a battle of wills when your father is Sylvester Stallone.
    Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 17 May 2023
  • In the meantime, the battle of wills among workers, the city and the government looks set to continue, with residents left holding the bag.
    Annabelle Timsit, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2023
  • On Sunday there was no battle of wills, no self-indulgence, before the ovation.
    Zachary Woolfe, New York Times, 17 Jan. 2023
  • Collette plays an opera diva caught in a battle of wills with her aspiring singer daughter (Young).
    Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 13 Feb. 2023
  • Cartman locks horns with his mum in a battle of wills while an epic conflict unfolds and threatens South Park's very existence.
    Travis Bean, Forbes, 10 July 2022
  • Letting your criticism devolve into a battle of wills is not your best bet.
    Chicago Tribune, 2 Nov. 2022
  • However, a battle of wills threatens to tear them apart as the mirage of their online personas begins to clash with their real-life ambitions.
    Josie Howell | Jhowell@al.com, al, 4 June 2023
  • This battle of wills is just the latest challenge to nuclear stability.
    Jon Wolfsthal, The New Republic, 11 Oct. 2022
  • Jabeur finally found her groove early in the second set, with the two players trading service breaks, and then, with Swiatek serving at 4-4 in that set, locking into what was essentially a battle of wills for the rest of the set.
    Liam Hess, Vogue, 10 Sep. 2022
  • Sunday's final was a battle of wills as the competitors met each other shot for shot well into extra time, until Argentina ended France's hope for a consecutive win in penalty kicks.
    Doha Madani, NBC News, 18 Dec. 2022
  • As with most everything surrounding this two-year battle of wills and personalities, more questions than answers remain.
    John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times, 4 July 2023
  • Despite their ongoing battle of wills, the president was savvy enough to capitalize on his daughter’s popularity.
    Francine Uenuma, Smithsonian Magazine, 18 Nov. 2022
  • But when Ron introduces her to his social-media influencer son, Anthony, Sue finds herself in an increasingly surreal battle of wills with this ambitious teenager.
    K.j. Yossman, Variety, 21 May 2022
  • But a tragic accident shatters that facade and guilt, suspicion and paranoia combine to disolve their sisterly bond, turning the two mothers against one another in a psychological battle of wills.
    Scott Roxborough, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 June 2022

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'battle/clash of wills.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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