GO TO THE MAT Definition & Meaning

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go to the mat

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Idioms and Phrases

Fight until one side or another is victorious, as in The governor said he'd go to the mat for this bill . This term comes from wrestling and evokes the holding of an opponent when both contestants are down on the mat, the padded floor-covering used in matches. It has been used figuratively since about 1900.

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Example Sentences

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But it appears it’s only this one retired congressman who is willing to go to the mat publicly at this point.

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McGuire gave labor unions credit on Monday, saying that “in California, we go to the mat for the rights of workers.”

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Were there ever things that you had to really go to the mat to fight for or that actually didn't make it?

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“It’s hard to imagine this new, generated so-called entitlement is something they’d go to the mat for. But maybe it’s taken on its own kind of standing” in Democratic party politics, Gen. Spoehr said.

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McBee: Can I go to the mat for someone else’s pick?

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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go to the mat

Idioms and Phrases

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