variants
or knock-down-and-drag-out
as in fierce
marked by bursts of destructive force or intense activity
the football game was a knock-down, drag-out battle between bitter rivals
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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Recent Examples of knock-down, drag-out
What follows is a knock-down, drag-out brawl reminiscent of Tommy Hearns and Marvin Hagler.
—
Lynette Rice, Deadline, 15 Dec. 2024
This was a knock-down, drag-out fight — the kind of match that would make for excellent watching when Marvel Snap tournaments are up and running.
—Ash Parrish, The Verge, 31 Jan. 2023
Last week’s knock-down, drag-out fight could just be the first of many this session as GOP lawmakers grapple with government spending, the debt ceiling and the situation at the border.
—Dallas News, 10 Jan. 2023
But both performers rode their SNL success to Hollywood superstardom, in turn validating the audience's appetite for inspired silliness and knock-down, drag-out belly-laughs.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 13 Dec. 2022
As much as the streaming wars can feel like a knock-down, drag-out fight, Amazon can spend time on the ropes because streaming isn’t its core business.
—Angela Watercutter, Wired, 18 Mar. 2022
But rather than a knock-down, drag-out fight to the finish, this series is all about empowerment.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 17 Feb. 2022
However, leaping in expecting an argument to become a knock-down, drag-out fight isn't the best way to go about your life.
—Tarot Astrologers, chicagotribune.com, 9 Feb. 2022
Its climactic scenes are the same as any classically satisfying sports movie’s: athletes (in this case, young Venus) making decisions about themselves, their worth, their futures, and bringing those notions to bear in a knock-down, drag-out match.
—K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone, 19 Nov. 2021
Lynette Rice, Deadline, 15 Dec. 2024
This was a knock-down, drag-out fight — the kind of match that would make for excellent watching when Marvel Snap tournaments are up and running.
—Ash Parrish, The Verge, 31 Jan. 2023
Last week’s knock-down, drag-out fight could just be the first of many this session as GOP lawmakers grapple with government spending, the debt ceiling and the situation at the border.
—Dallas News, 10 Jan. 2023
But both performers rode their SNL success to Hollywood superstardom, in turn validating the audience's appetite for inspired silliness and knock-down, drag-out belly-laughs.
—Dennis Perkins, EW.com, 13 Dec. 2022
As much as the streaming wars can feel like a knock-down, drag-out fight, Amazon can spend time on the ropes because streaming isn’t its core business.
—Angela Watercutter, Wired, 18 Mar. 2022
But rather than a knock-down, drag-out fight to the finish, this series is all about empowerment.
—Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 17 Feb. 2022
However, leaping in expecting an argument to become a knock-down, drag-out fight isn't the best way to go about your life.
—Tarot Astrologers, chicagotribune.com, 9 Feb. 2022
Its climactic scenes are the same as any classically satisfying sports movie’s: athletes (in this case, young Venus) making decisions about themselves, their worth, their futures, and bringing those notions to bear in a knock-down, drag-out match.
—K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone, 19 Nov. 2021
Recent Examples of Synonyms for knock-down, drag-out
Adjective
-
Caron was used to seeing my fiery side, the fierce competitor, the demanding coach.—
Jim Calhoun with Dom Amore,
Hartford Courant,
31 May 2025
-
The feedback was fierce—storyboards dismantled, ideas shredded—but the environment was psychologically safe.—
Ann Kowal Smith,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2025
Adjective
-
This sweeping action included both nonviolent participants and those convicted of violent crimes against law enforcement.—
Alia Shoaib,
MSNBC Newsweek,
28 May 2025
-
Individual plots veer between cartoonish farce (the gang accidentally makes friends with a violent criminal) and more mundane problems (Billie loses her insurance and gets into medical debt).—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
28 May 2025
Adjective
-
America, then, was visible to Fuller as the ferocious winds destroyed the vessel.—
James Marcus,
New Yorker,
2 June 2025
-
The Thunder are deep, play ferocious defense and have a star in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who embraces the big moment.—
Bob Harkins,
New York Times,
29 May 2025
Adjective
-
Ripley capped off a furious comeback with a Razor’s Edge toss of Perez onto Giulia, followed by a slam onto a ladder lodged between the first and second ropes.—
Alfred Konuwa,
Forbes.com,
8 June 2025
-
Then came the very public split between President Trump and Elon Musk, and a flurry of furious Twitter/X and Truth Social postings, aimed at each other with razor-sharp edges.—
Space.com Staff,
Space.com,
7 June 2025
Adjective
-
Additionally, high levels of volcanic gases in the area pose a risk to those nearby, especially individuals with breathing problems.—
Doc Louallen,
ABC News,
27 May 2025
-
There’s a volcanic hot disc, an icy cold disc, an aquatic disc, and a verdant blush disc.—
Bill Desowitz,
IndieWire,
27 May 2025
Adjective
-
There are other objects of worship from the days when Japan’s Christians had to hide from vicious persecution, including a ceramic bottle of holy water from Nakaenoshima, an island where Hidden Christians were martyred in the 1620s.—
Foster Klug,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2025
-
Years before the Kendrick Lamar and Drake imbroglio, Pusha T shared his own vicious diss track against the Canadian hip-hop superstar.—
Matthew Strauss,
Pitchfork,
3 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Knock-down, drag-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/knock-down%2C%20drag-out. Accessed 12 Jun. 2025.
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