tug of war

noun

1. an athletic contest between two teams at opposite ends of a rope, each team trying to drag the other over a line.
2. a hard-fought, critical struggle for supremacy.

tug-of-war

noun

1. a contest in which two people or teams pull opposite ends of a rope in an attempt to drag the opposition over a central line
2. any hard struggle, esp between two equally matched factions

Word History and Origins

Origin of tug of war¹

1670–80 tug of war fordef 2; 1875–80 tug of war fordef 1

Idioms and Phrases

A struggle for supremacy, as in There's a constant political tug of war between those who favor giving more power to the states and those who want a strong federal government . Although there is an athletic contest also so named, in which participants holding either end of a rope try to pull each other across a dividing line, the present usage, first recorded in 1677, predates it by about two centuries. The noun tug itself means “a strenuous contest between two sides,” and war refers to fighting, either physical or figurative.

Example Sentences

Throughout the day, you would overhear chit-chat about the ongoing tug-of-war between libertarians and social conservatives.

From The Daily Beast

At one point, they held a noisy tug-of-war with a giant rope in the middle of the exhibit hall.

From The Daily Beast

Many states are caught up in a tug-of-war between the will of law enforcement and concerned citizens and legislators.

From The Daily Beast

Now, after a cultural tug-of-war and a lengthy trial in Rome, Aphrodite is finally going home to Sicily.

From The Daily Beast

It was after one of his nights with Rachel that the tug-of-war over Josh turned deadly.

From The Daily Beast

For a couple of seconds there was a tug-of-war—pull boy, pull pig, and then the hat tore apart.

From Project Gutenberg

It was the tug-of-war being played with a life as the stakes.

From Project Gutenberg

It is a tug-of-war, your skill and strength against the muscles of the animal inside the tight shells.

From Project Gutenberg

A nervous tug-of-war was taking place between her right and left hand, with a twisted-up pair of ecru gloves for the cable.

From Project Gutenberg

He remembered his watch, his money, and clothes, never recovered after that memorable tug-of-war.

From Project Gutenberg