come to blows

Idioms  

1. Begin to fight. For example, It hardly seems worth coming to blows over a dollar! Thomas Hobbes had it in Leviathan (1651): “Their controversie must either come to blowes, or be undecided.” This term is also put as fall to blows, especially in Britain. [Late 1500s]

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Example Sentences

It’s “monkey see, monkey do,” she said, adding that she’s seen people nearly come to blows after drivers cut the line to snag a valuable spot.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 12, 2025

But Medellín Legorreta worries the two heavyweights may come to blows as forest fragmentation worsens and climate change brings further warming and prolonged droughts.

From Science Magazine • Oct. 11, 2023

An entertaining night at the AO Arena also saw Josh Taylor and Jack Catterall almost come to blows.

From BBC • Jan. 22, 2023

I think Jack and Quentin will come to blows too as that uncle/nephew pretense unravels.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 9, 2022

“As they say, two staffs in one town must come to blows, isn’t it so, Sir?” said the innkeeper, smiling and full of cheer.

From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin