a sporting event in which two teams pull at opposite ends of a rope until one team drags the other over a line on the ground 拔河 a situation in which two people or groups try very hard to get or keep the same thing (两人或两组的)激烈争夺 After the divorce they became involved in an emotional tug of war over the children. 离婚后,他们卷入了一场争夺孩子的情感角力。