lock horns

Idioms  

1. Become embroiled in conflict, as in At the town meeting Kate and Steve locked horns over increasing the property tax. This expression alludes to how stags and bulls use their horns to fight one another. [First half of 1800s]

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lock horns

Plus, Ford and GM lock horns in a new battle, and a girls’ trip to Ibiza takes a dramatic turn.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

The wiggle room has left courts to lock horns over the most basic facts before them — including whether what the president claims must be provably true.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2025

Oval Invincibles women face their Welsh Fire counterparts at 14:30 at The Oval - match which is live on BBC iPlayer - before the men's sides lock horns at 18:00.

From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2025

Prosecutors typically file charges, then lock horns with defense lawyers in front a judge who decides whether there’s enough evidence to go to trial.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 29, 2022

Some guards would start out at A-block, then lock horns with Sergeant Wickersham, and thereafter be sentenced by mutual agreement to B-block.

From "Newjack: Guarding Sing Sing" by Ted Conover

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