B2idiominformalbusinessIELTS-friendly
a dog-eat-dog world
USUK
a situation where people compete hard and will harm others to succeed
Also 'a dog-eat-dog business/industry'. Hyphens are used before a noun. Vietnamese uses a fish image: 'cá lớn nuốt cá bé'.
In context
Advertising is a dog-eat-dog world, and only the toughest agencies survive.
My dad warned me that it's a dog-eat-dog world out there.
More idioms about business
- a ballpark figurea rough number that is close to the real amount
- a big playera powerful and important person or company in a field
- a bottlenecka point where progress slows because too much has to pass through it
- a deal breakera fact or condition that makes you refuse to accept an agreement
- a done dealsomething that has been agreed and cannot now be changed