Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com

toe-to-toe

American  
[toh-tuh-toh] / ˈtoʊ təˈtoʊ /

adjective

  1. being in direct confrontation or opposition.

adverb

  1. in a position or attitude of direct confrontation.

    slugging it out toe-to-toe.
toe-to-toe British  

adverb

  1. in one-to-one combat or in direct competition

    there aren't many fighters willing to go toe-to-toe with him
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

adjective

  1. (of battles, confrontations, or contests) involving two people or groups fighting with or competing against each other

    a toe-to-toe battle
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a fight, confrontation, or contest between two people or groups

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of toe-to-toe

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Before the face-off drama, a twitchy, stone-faced Dubois glanced around at the stained-glass windows as the managers went toe-to-toe backing their men.

From BBC

Who was this young actor going toe-to-toe with Glenn Close as “Damages’” deliciously Machiavellian attorney Patty Hewes?

From Los Angeles Times

At licensed bare-knuckle events, fighters go toe-to-toe on surfaces half the size of a professional gloved boxing ring - which means there is nowhere to hide.

From BBC

And for 70 minutes on a freezing Cheshire night, Macclesfield suggested lightning could strike twice as they once again stood toe-to-toe with top-flight opposition, refusing to give an inch.

From BBC

Lee later praised his team's performance after they went toe-to-toe with the Pistons for long periods of the contest.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.