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take-no-prisoners

American  
[teyk-noh-priz-uh-nerz, ‑-priz-nerz] / ˈteɪkˌnoʊˈprɪz ə nərz, ‑ˈprɪz nərz /

adjective

  1. wholeheartedly aggressive; zealous; gung-ho.

    a businessman with a take-no-prisoners attitude toward dealmaking.


Etymology

Origin of take-no-prisoners

First recorded in 1990–95

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:

Not as entertaining nor as exciting as a take-no-prisoners offensive assault but sometimes necessary to win the game.

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 18, 2023

Mr. Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, has signaled that he plans to run as a happy warrior, seeing it as a way to distance himself from Mr. Trump’s take-no-prisoners approach to politics.

From Washington Times May 19, 2023

Forced ranking of employees was famously pioneered by Jack Welch, the take-no-prisoners CEO of General Electric, who influenced a generation of top executives at Boeing.

From Seattle Times Feb. 6, 2023

Mr. Reid was a take-no-prisoners politician who never backed down from a fight and instigated more than a few — perhaps a legacy of his days as a boxer.

From New York Times Jan. 24, 2023

After the dinner rush, the entire kitchen is a mess, like there was some kind of take-no-prisoners food fights.

From "Dumplin'" by Julie Murphy

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