knock-down, drag-out
adjective
variants
or knock-down-and-drag-out
: marked by extreme violence or bitterness and by the showing of no mercy
knock-down, drag-out political debates
knock-down-drag-out
noun
Examples of knock-down, drag-out in a Sentence
the football game was a knock-down, drag-out battle between bitter rivals
Recent Examples on the Web
The meeting of a pair of programs on the rise was a knock-down, drag-out affair that appeared to have no end in sight.
—
Evan Webeck, Mercury News, 20 Sep. 2025
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Evan Webeck, Mercury News, 20 Sep. 2025
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
Cite this Entry
“Knock-down, drag-out.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knock-down%2C%20drag-out. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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