How to Use toe-to-toe in a Sentence

toe-to-toe

adjective or adverb
  • Trump has gone toe-to-toe with ABC for years.
    — Laura Kelly, The Hill, 18 Nov. 2025
  • The real thrill for me is that not a lot of people get to go toe-to-toe with Jeff.
    — Ali Lerman, Los Angeles Times, 18 June 2026
  • The Thunderhawks went toe-to-toe with the Zephyrs in the first half.
    — Andrew Cornelius, Twin Cities, 22 Oct. 2025
  • Jasmine Crockett is going to go toe-to-toe.
    — John C. Moritz, Austin American Statesman, 10 Dec. 2025
  • The two went toe-to-toe for several minutes before Cargill’s allies came down to the ring.
    — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 31 May 2026
  • Still, the Cowboys have gone toe-to-toe with the NFL’s best this season.
    — Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 12 Oct. 2025
  • The boxers go toe-to-toe in a grueling fight at the climax of the movie that results in a win for Rocky.
    — Tommy McArdle, PEOPLE, 28 Nov. 2025
  • And this is a classic 'High Noon' toe-to-toe showdown-at-the-corral heavyweight fight.
    — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 5 Sep. 2025
  • He’s been growing into his body since and has put a huge amount of work into going toe-to-toe with the world’s best players over five sets.
    — Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
  • Toyota is developing a truck to go toe-to-toe with Ford's smallest pickup.
    — Charles Singh, USA Today, 24 Oct. 2025
  • Arsenal tried to go toe-to-toe, but Gundogan and Co were able to outplay them with ease.
    — Jordan Campbell, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Hugh Jackman has fought mutants, slayed vampires and gone toe-to-toe dancing with Zac Efron.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 17 June 2026
  • Charming vintage footage shows how the two could go toe-to-toe with one another, even while on other sides of a dueling piano.
    — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 23 Apr. 2026
  • Back then, Zamost went toe-to-toe with then-senior point guard Dylan Chung every day in practice.
    — Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 19 Feb. 2026
  • But 2026 will be the first time that Ford and a GM brand have gone toe-to-toe in grand prix racing.
    — Luke Smith, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
  • On Thursday, those two will go toe-to-toe when the Jackets face the Boston Bruins.
    — Aaron Portzline, New York Times, 23 Feb. 2026
  • Nine of the 10 reached the round of 32, and many went toe-to-toe with some of the best players and teams Europe has to offer.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 30 June 2026
  • The Knights, meanwhile, were heavy underdogs, but managed to go toe-to-toe with Duke, with the game coming down to the last shot.
    — Matt Murschel, The Orlando Sentinel, 10 Mar. 2026
  • That scene, where Cain and Derek go conversationally toe-to-toe, is one of the film’s sharpest knife-edge moments.
    — Craig McLean, Variety, 4 Dec. 2025
  • There’s divorce talk, heated dinner discussions, a hospital visit and a few moments where the women go toe-to-toe.
    — Stacy Lambe, PEOPLE, 4 Nov. 2025
  • The pair will go toe-to-toe throughout the series, with Mike intent on looking after his own who are currently within the prison system.
    — EW.com, 13 Aug. 2025
  • And now here stand the Heat, after a week of toe-to-toe against the Bulls and the Hawks, again tracking toward the play-in, as if inescapable.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 4 Feb. 2026
  • Lobo is one of Superman's biggest foes, and often goes toe-to-toe with the Last Son of Krypton in the comics.
    — James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
  • Texas fell to the Purdue Boilermakers on a last-second tip just before the buzzer, after going toe-to-toe with them all game.
    — Cole Sullivan, MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
  • Alabama presents another unique challenge, with its ability to go toe-to-toe with the Aggies on the offensive end.
    — Tony Catalina, Austin American Statesman, 3 Feb. 2026
  • The force was strengthened by advanced Soviet weaponry that could go toe-to-toe with US armaments.
    — Avery Schmitz, CNN Money, 24 June 2026
  • The tables have turned for Ortega, who goes toe-to-toe with freshman guard Tim Gruenfeld in practices.
    — Steve Reaven, Chicago Tribune, 29 Jan. 2026
  • Meanwhile, Townsend is a revelation, and Alix Truong stood toe-to-toe with Waters for the win.
    — Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026
  • Then, each celebrity performed with a former Mirrorball champion in the relay dance round, which pitted two couples, toe-to-toe.
    — Lars Brandle, Billboard, 12 Nov. 2025
  • Greenblatt’s June goes toe-to-toe with Jack (Dave Franco) over their puzzle-solving abilities.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 11 Nov. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'toe-to-toe.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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