tooth and nail

American

adverb

with all one's resources or energy; fiercely.

We fought tooth and nail but lost.

tooth and nail Cultural

To fight “tooth and nail” is to fight with the intensity and ferocity of a wild animal: “The resistance forces fought the invading troops tooth and nail.”

Etymology

Origin of tooth and nail

First recorded in 1525–35

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.

See Examples For:

tooth and nail

He fought for the working men and women of the country tooth and nail.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

And at O’Hare International Airport, American Airlines has been fighting tooth and nail not to lose access to gates in its terminal because of the Chicago hub’s potential to fuel its credit-card loyalty program.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026

One farmer in Scotland, where the eagles were reintroduced in 1975, said those in Exmoor should fight plans "tooth and nail" or risk losing lambs to the birds.

From BBC ● May 13, 2026

Paramount Skydance will be fighting this acquisition tooth and nail, including on antitrust grounds.

From Slate ● Dec. 6, 2025

Meanwhile Madame Maxime was trying to restrain Fleur Delacour, who was quite hysterical, fighting tooth and nail to return to the water.

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling

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