as in fisticuffs
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Recent Examples of slugfest
This is a proper superhero slugfest, and its climactic fight — Cap and Bucky vs. Iron Man — leaves emotional wounds for years to come.
—
Will Harris, EW.com, 14 Feb. 2025
Ohio State 34, Notre Dame 23 — CFP championship
Notre Dame turned the Rust Belt showdown for the national title into a first-quarter slugfest, running on 13 of its 18 plays over the course of a nearly 10-minute drive, with Leonard punching it in from a yard out to take the early lead.
—Scott Dochterman, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025
Notre Dame 24, Penn State 20 This game is shaping up to be a defensive slugfest, but Notre Dame's ability to control the line of scrimmage and make game-breaking plays gives them the edge.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
This was a slugfest between a great team and a really good team that was decided in the game’s trenches.
—James L. Edwards Iii, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slugfest
Will Harris, EW.com, 14 Feb. 2025
Ohio State 34, Notre Dame 23 — CFP championship
Notre Dame turned the Rust Belt showdown for the national title into a first-quarter slugfest, running on 13 of its 18 plays over the course of a nearly 10-minute drive, with Leonard punching it in from a yard out to take the early lead.
—Scott Dochterman, The Athletic, 24 Jan. 2025
Notre Dame 24, Penn State 20 This game is shaping up to be a defensive slugfest, but Notre Dame's ability to control the line of scrimmage and make game-breaking plays gives them the edge.
—Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 10 Jan. 2025
This was a slugfest between a great team and a really good team that was decided in the game’s trenches.
—James L. Edwards Iii, The Athletic, 4 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for slugfest
Recent Examples of Synonyms for slugfest
Noun
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The bullying escalated to a fistfight after Jeff stole Emily's backpack and threw it into a toilet, resulting in suspensions for both teens.—
Jason Fields,
Newsweek,
5 Dec. 2024
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For his part, puppy eyes and moderate angst do not comprise a very tough veneer, despite fistfights thrown in every once in a while.—
Dennis Harvey,
Variety,
22 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Another ancestor had been on the Hudson River, in 1804, when Alexander Hamilton was being rowed back to Manhattan after his duel with Aaron Burr.—
Ian Frazier,
The New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2025
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Just 26, Cindric won the second Daytona duel Thursday night in a photo finish and will sit on the front row to start Sunday’s race.—
Edgar Thompson,
Orlando Sentinel,
15 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Most of the group was subsequently deported, but the livestreamed melee generated views.—
David Peisner,
Rolling Stone,
23 Feb. 2025
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That record was set during another matchup between Canada and the U.S. — Matthew and Brady’s father, Keith Tkachuk, and Bill Guerin, now Team USA’s general manager, were among those involved in the melee for Team USA.—
Lauren Merola,
The Athletic,
20 Feb. 2025
Noun
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In the hands of the endlessly inventive comedian, the tale of a boy who pulls himself up by his bootstraps and seeks out fame and fortune becomes a madcap delight complete with a zingy script, cartoonish punch-ups, collapsing sets, and a heady dose of magical realism.—
Radhika Seth,
Vogue,
9 Feb. 2025
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Often, when shows do crossovers, the writers on one will do punch-up for their characters on the other.—
Alan Sepinwall,
Rolling Stone,
4 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The hard-throwing lefty dominated across 72 appearances (72.0 innings), notching a 1.75 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 84 punch-outs.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
30 Nov. 2024
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Asus chose to have a punch-out camera and obscure part of the screen rather than mount it in a larger bezel, which shows how form has come ahead of function.—
Ewan Spence,
Forbes,
26 Nov. 2024
Noun
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During the race, a confrontation erupted between Sheldon Creed and Jesse Love.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
2 Mar. 2025
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Whether through an in-ring appearance or a post-match confrontation, her involvement could set up a major WrestleMania feud, particularly within the women’s division.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes,
1 Mar. 2025
Noun
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As Carbon Nation bounced from Hawaii to California and then to Las Vegas in 2020, the ideological messages once so prominent in their videos were increasingly buried beneath a surreal, debauched montage: members slapping each other, a brawl on the beach between Bishop’s wives.—
David Peisner,
Rolling Stone,
23 Feb. 2025
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Connor McDavid scored at 8:18 of overtime to give Canada a 3-2 victory over the United States on Thursday night as the North American rivals turned what had been a tuneup for the 2026 Olympics into an geopolitical brawl over anthems and annexation as much as international hockey supremacy.—
Houston Mitchell,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Completing the quartet is Justin Withers’ Demetrius, who unleashes his comic chops during a hilarious donnybrook.—
Rob Hubbard,
Twin Cities,
7 Feb. 2025
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Saturday’s donnybrook at the Horseshoe may not have scared up the massive numbers that last year’s Ohio State-Michigan showdown delivered, but Fox’s broadcast of the 120th installment of The Game still ranks as the college football season’s second-biggest TV draw.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
4 Dec. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Slugfest.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/slugfest. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.
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