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
The Bucks don’t have any other options outside of continuing to fight, and that is going to be a tough task after playing a knock-down-drag-out dogfight of a game across 53 minutes on Friday.
—
Eric Nehm, The Athletic, 27 Apr. 2024
Until offensive coordinators figure out a way to counter Cover 2, fans may want to dial back their appetite for the aerial dogfights that have characterized the last two decades of NFL Sundays.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 27 Sep. 2024
The Dodgers have been in a dogfight with San Diego and Arizona for the division all summer, so Roberts hasn’t had the luxury of giving Lux a longer leash against left-handers.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2024
Harris and Trump in a ‘dogfight’ in the election’s final stretch
Former President Donald Trump; Vice President Kamala Harris.
—Kaylah Jackson, NBC News, 3 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dogfight 
Eric Nehm, The Athletic, 27 Apr. 2024
Until offensive coordinators figure out a way to counter Cover 2, fans may want to dial back their appetite for the aerial dogfights that have characterized the last two decades of NFL Sundays.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 27 Sep. 2024
The Dodgers have been in a dogfight with San Diego and Arizona for the division all summer, so Roberts hasn’t had the luxury of giving Lux a longer leash against left-handers.
—Mike Digiovanna, Los Angeles Times, 26 Sep. 2024
Harris and Trump in a ‘dogfight’ in the election’s final stretch
Former President Donald Trump; Vice President Kamala Harris.
—Kaylah Jackson, NBC News, 3 Sep. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dogfight
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dogfight
Noun
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Gleason also was a key player on the floor in Friday night’s rivalry game.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Feb. 2025
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That’ll add some fuel to the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
30 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Her non-exhaustive account of the battle for equal rights in America includes more than one hundred laws, court rulings, murders, assassinations, books, films, protests, and riots.—
Mara Hoberman,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2025
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The case is one of around 20 legal challenges to Trump’s use of executive authority since his return to office and could set the stage for broader court battles over his policy agenda.—
Kaelan Deese,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
31 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The game figures to be tight, and for a while now, coach Andy Reid’s Chiefs have been winning such duels.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Jan. 2025
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His brawn did not correlate with a ranking in the bottom seven per cent of defenders from Europe’s top five leagues for aerial duels won and in the bottom one per cent for tackles won.—
Jacob Tanswell,
The Athletic,
24 Jan. 2025
Noun
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An 18-year-old Button first came to prominence in 1948, winning Olympic gold in St. Moritz, Switzerland, by being the first skater to land a double axel in competition.—
David K. Li,
NBC News,
31 Jan. 2025
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Some sports seem intent on consolidating seasons or shortening games while others are adding inventory or fostering spin-off competitions.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
30 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Management by the Department of Defense will also streamline the process of introducing new technologies into warfare’s commercial frontier.—
Matt Kaplan,
Foreign Affairs,
31 Jan. 2025
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Modern warfare demands far more than brute strength; tactical and technical proficiency are equally critical.—
Marissa Loya,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
29 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The Chapter 11 filing underscores the struggles of the active and outdoor apparel space.—
Richard Collings,
Axios,
4 Feb. 2025
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In recent years Howard Brown also has faced conflicts with workers’ unions and financial struggles.—
Lisa Schencker,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Feb. 2025
Noun
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One such project, Hideouts: The Architecture of Survival, examined nine hiding places used by Jews during the war.—
Natalia Romik / Madę by History,
TIME,
27 Jan. 2025
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The Al Rasheed coastal road was damaged during the war and remains difficult to pass in some places.—
Abeer Salman,
CNN,
27 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Fay Vincent, who became an unexpected baseball commissioner in 1989 following the death of A. Bartlett Giamatti and then was forced out three years later by owners intent on a labor confrontation with players, has died.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
2 Feb. 2025
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Police fatally shot a homicide suspect during a confrontation on the Newport Beach Pier early Saturday after a high-speed chase that began in Santa Ana, authorities said.—
Jenny Gold,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Feb. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near dogfight
Cite this Entry
“Dogfight.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dogfight. Accessed 9 Feb. 2025.
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