A tug-of-war is a sports event in which two teams test their strength by pulling against each other on opposite ends of a rope
You can use tug-of-war to refer to a situation in which two people or groups both want the same thing and are fairly equally matched in their struggle to get it. Chelsea and Aston Villa were involved in a tug of war for Liverpool's Ray Houghton last night
any hard struggle between equally matched groups a contest in which teams pull of opposite ends of a rope; the team dragged across a central line loses
a game or competition in which two teams pull or tug on opposite ends of a rope trying to force the other team over the line which initially marked the middle between the two teams
strength competition between groups or individuals which are pulling from both ends of a rope attempting to bring the adversary to one's side; hard struggle