go to the mat

Idioms  

1. Fight until one side or another is victorious, as in The governor said he'd go to the mat for this bill. This term comes from wrestling and evokes the holding of an opponent when both contestants are down on the mat, the padded floor-covering used in matches. It has been used figuratively since about 1900.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

go to the mat

Others painted her as an opinionated woman willing to go to the mat for the creatures she dedicated her life to.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 17, 2026

But it appears it’s only this one retired congressman who is willing to go to the mat publicly at this point.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 7, 2024

Were there ever things that you had to really go to the mat to fight for or that actually didn't make it?

From Salon ● Nov. 29, 2023

“Every single year I go to the mat to boost funding for the Child Care Development Block Grant — I know how much it helps working parents and kids,” Senator Murray said.

From New York Times ● Apr. 8, 2022

On that, before long, she and Natalie would have, in one of her own occasional lapses into slang, to go to the mat.

From Dangerous Days by Rinehart, Mary Roberts