as in rivalry
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
the playful competition over who would get the new office turned into a real dogfight
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of dogfight
In a low, twisting, turning dogfight, the P-40 would lose.
—
Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2025
What used to be a season of racking up Top 10s and Top Fives is now a weekly dogfight for every position.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 27 Aug. 2025
The match, described as a ‘dogfight’ by Flanagan, was decided by the forwards, with Bond scoring a pushover try, the game’s only score.
—Peter Carline, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Mount Dora won a dogfight last year at home against Tavares 15-12 and made the playoffs, losing to Dunnellon in the first round.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dogfight
Brad Lendon, CNN Money, 1 Sep. 2025
What used to be a season of racking up Top 10s and Top Fives is now a weekly dogfight for every position.
—Shane Connuck, Charlotte Observer, 27 Aug. 2025
The match, described as a ‘dogfight’ by Flanagan, was decided by the forwards, with Bond scoring a pushover try, the game’s only score.
—Peter Carline, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
Mount Dora won a dogfight last year at home against Tavares 15-12 and made the playoffs, losing to Dunnellon in the first round.
—Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dogfight
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dogfight
Noun
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Those games include matchups versus the NFC North, AFC North divisional rivalry games versus the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers as well as a late season road showdown against the Buffalo Bills.—
Kambui Bomani,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
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The Studio beat The Bear for the most wins for a comedy series in a single year, while The Pitt reigned supreme in its rivalry with Severance and Britt Lower pulled an upset in Lead Actress in a Drama over Kathy Bates.—
Vulture Staff,
Vulture,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Republicans were unfazed by Democrats threatening to withhold their votes, accusing them of hypocrisy for condemning GOP efforts to win policy concessions in past funding battles.—
Ramsey Touchberry,
The Washington Examiner,
17 Sep. 2025
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The iconic items fit well in this book given how many Avengers don’t feel complete without a gadget or mystical item to carry into battle.—
Rob Wieland,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The side two divisions above are better in every respect, most noticeably in one-against-one duels out wide.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
14 Sep. 2025
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Their duel is brutal and operatic, the culmination of years of tension between Cleonic brothers.—
JP Mangalindan,
Time,
12 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In their last five meetings across all competitions, UANL Tigres has three wins, while Guadalajara has yet to claim a win, with two matches ending in draws.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
18 Sep. 2025
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Eurovision is a reality TV competition featuring single bands representing each participating country, with fans across Europe voting on their favorites.—
David Bloom,
Forbes.com,
17 Sep. 2025
Noun
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At least one Ukrainian drone has also crashed in Estonia, which Tallinn said was sent off course by Russian electronic warfare measures.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
15 Sep. 2025
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Denmark will put forward two F-16 fighter jets and an anti-air warfare frigate, while France will contribute three Rafale jets and Germany four Eurofighters, the alliance said in a press release.—
Robert Birsel
Shane Croucher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Friction is the artist's struggle, the mentor's challenge, and the co-founder's disagreement.—
Curt Steinhorst,
Forbes.com,
19 Sep. 2025
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Those struggles compounded during an alarming first half last season, spurring former coach Peter Laviolette to try something new.—
Vincent Z. Mercogliano,
New York Times,
18 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Washington was happy to let Moscow broker the peace deal that ended the 44-day war, deploying peacekeepers to implement the lopsided terms.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
21 Sep. 2025
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That atmosphere makes Europe far more cautious over a trade war with China, or even with India.—
Laura Kelly,
The Hill,
20 Sep. 2025
Noun
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These confrontations positioned Kirk as accessible and confident in his polarizing beliefs and created a sense of intellectual challenge that appealed to competitive young students.—
Lily Mae Lazarus,
Fortune,
20 Sep. 2025
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Department administrators implemented a policy to file criminal charges in every case in which there was a confrontation between deputies and detainees to make detainees’ claims of abuse less credible, according to her suit.—
Christopher Damien,
USA Today,
19 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dogfight.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dogfight. Accessed 21 Sep. 2025.
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