Synonyms

neck and neck

Idioms

So close that the advantage or lead shifts from one to the other or is virtually indistinguishable, as in The two are neck and neck in developing a new operating system for the computer. The term comes from horse racing, where the necks of two horses in competition appear to be side by side. [Early 1800s] For a synonym, see nip and tuck.

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.

The Dodgers do not concede the days of neck and neck will return.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 2026

In Berlin, it is neck and neck with the SPD and the Greens ahead of a state election in September.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026

Paxton’s style ran neck and neck with Cornyn’s substance.

From Salon • Mar. 4, 2026

Going into the final round, the Japanese and the Americans had been neck and neck, but Japan were ahead having won more routines.

From Barron's • Feb. 8, 2026

Navy was neck and neck with Cal, and the two of them seemed to be running away with it, though Columbia, astonishingly, appeared to be in third place.

From "The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics" by Daniel James Brown

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