Synonyms

tooth and nail

American

adverb

with all one's resources or energy; fiercely.

We fought tooth and nail but lost.

tooth and nail Cultural

To fight “tooth and nail” is to fight with the intensity and ferocity of a wild animal: “The resistance forces fought the invading troops tooth and nail.”

Etymology

Origin of tooth and nail

First recorded in 1525–35

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:

tooth and nail

He fought for the working men and women of the country tooth and nail.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

“We should be fighting tooth and nail to retain all of our companies,” Walker said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 10, 2026

"We will fight this tooth and nail," Das said.

From Barron's ● Mar. 24, 2026

I'd fought tooth and nail to keep him and, back fit again, he was tearing us up the table in what is now League One, scoring some spectacular goals.

From BBC ● Feb. 2, 2026

Meanwhile Madame Maxime was trying to restrain Fleur Delacour, who was quite hysterical, fighting tooth and nail to return to the water.

From "Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire" by J. K. Rowling

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