tug of war
US /ˌtʌɡ əv ˈwɔːr/
UK /ˌtʌɡ əv ˈwɔːr/
1.
a contest in which two teams pull at opposite ends of a rope until one team succeeds in pulling the other over a central line
:
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The annual picnic always features a lively game of tug of war.
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Our team won the tug of war by a narrow margin.
2.
a situation in which two opposing groups are trying to win or gain control of something
:
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There's a constant tug of war between the marketing and sales departments.
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The budget negotiations turned into a real tug of war.