Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

neck and neck

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.33 in modern English

Syllables: neck- and -neck
IPA

24

Scrabble Score

11

Letters

3

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

phrase

Very close in progress, as in a race or a contest.

Example Sentences

"The polls suggest that the candidates were neck and neck in the election."
"It lay between me and Dick Riot madam; we were neck and neck for three miles, as hard as we could lay leg to ground, and running every inch, but at the first, I felt for him, found I had the foot […]"
"Mr. Prendergast's Rainbow filly, watched closely by Paul Jones, took the lead, and they ran almost neck and neck until near the cords, when Paul Jones made a rush, and came home by a length."
"[...] Mr. M. N. Rollason points out that on four-track lines on which the fast lines, in the centre, are flanked by the slow lines, and running at speed is permissible on all four, the traveller can enjoy some quite exciting experiences when trains are doing a "neck-and-neck" on adjacent lines."
"Passing Iver, W.R. 4-6-0 No. 1012 County of Denbigh on the up "Capitals United Express" runs neck-and-neck with a parcels train headed by 4-6-0 No. 6821 Leaton Grange."

Etymology

Figurative, from the image of competing horses abreast in a horse race who are so even (headed for a tie) that their necks are side-by-side.

Inflected Forms

neck-and-neck (alternative) neck in neck (alternative)

Phrases

dead heat photo finish

Frequently Paired Words

dead heat photo finish

Synonyms

nip and tuck head-to-head

Questions

What does neck and neck mean?: Very close in progress, as in a race or a contest.
Where does neck and neck come from?: Figurative, from the image of competing horses abreast in a horse race who are so even (headed for a tie) that their necks are side-by-side.

How to pronounce neck and neck

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