slugfest

[ sluhg-fest ]

noun

, Informal.

1. a baseball game in which both teams make many runs and extra-base hits.
2. a boxing bout in which the boxers exchange powerful blows vigorously and aggressively with little care for defense.
3. an intense conflict or combat.

slugfest

/ ˈslʌɡˌfɛst /

noun

1. a boxing match in which opponents trade heavy blows
2. any sporting contest between powerful and evenly matched opponents

Word History and Origins

Origin of slugfest¹

First recorded in 1915–20; slug ² + fest

Example Sentences

The race devolved into a heavily funded partisan slugfest in the final month, with the teachers union spending for Petterson and a conservative super PAC backing Williams.

From Voice of San Diego

The Orange Bowl semi between two programs trying to get historical boulders off their backs, Georgia and Michigan, should be a fun and physical slugfest.

From FiveThirtyEight

Four of the nine Justices in recent months have publicly addressed the fear of mistaking the marble Supreme Court edifice for the political slugfest of the Iowa State Fair.

From Time

“Fourth quarter is always a bit of a slugfest when it comes to positioning yourself to win from a marketing perspective,” said Brian Berger, CEO of Mack Weldon, which sells men’s basics like t-shirts and sweatpants.

From Digiday

This is a job for independent committees, like Bowles-Simpson, not a partisan slugfest.

From The Daily Beast

The hearing was billed in the press as more than just another partisan slugfest.

From The Daily Beast

But if Gingrich heads to the showers, a Romney-Santorum slugfest could go all the way to Tampa.

From The Daily Beast

After all, the Fox News faceoff has all the elements needed for a slugfest.

From The Daily Beast

“It was encouraging,” Bob Schuman, of an independent committee called Americans for Rick Perry, said of the two-hour GOP slugfest.

From The Daily Beast

Related Words

• altercation
• brawl
• dogfight
• fisticuffs
• fracas
• free-for-all
• melee
• ruckus
• tussle