at loggerheads

at log·ger·heads
UK/æt ˈlɒɡəhɛdz/US/æt ˈlɔɡɚˌhɛdz/US/ˈlɑ-/

prepositional phrase

Unable to agree; opposing.

“We were really at loggerheads about what to do with the money we found on the side of the road; she said we should turn it in, I said we should keep it.”

Similar
at oddsat sixes and sevenshostile
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Meanings

prepositional phrase
  1. figurativelyUnable to agree; opposing.

    We were really at loggerheads about what to do with the money we found on the side of the road; she said we should turn it in, I said we should keep it.

    1 more example

    Educators in a Washington state school district went on strike Friday because the teachers’ union and the Ridgefield School District (RSD) remain at loggerheads following months of collective bargaining negotiations.

    2022 September 9, Paradise Afshar, “Washington state school district goes on strike”, in CNN

    Synonyms: at odds, at sixes and sevens

Synonyms & antonyms

prepositional phraseUnable to agree; opposing.

Similar
at oddsat sixes and sevens

More synonyms by meaning

adjectivein a dispute or confrontation

Similar
hostile
Also see
at oddsat sixes and sevenshostile

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

Uncertain; possibly from the use of a loggerhead (“metal tool consisting of a long rod with a bulbous end”) as a weapon during a fight.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 分歧, 不和
  • 分歧 (fēnqí)unable to agree; opposing
  • 不和 (bùhé)unable to agree; opposing
Dutch als kat en hond, diametraal tegengesteld
  • als kat en hondunable to agree; opposing
  • diametraal tegengesteldunable to agree; opposing
Finnish napit vastakkain, tukkanuottasilla
  • napit vastakkainunable to agree; opposing
  • tukkanuottasillaunable to agree; opposing
French comme chien et chat, diamétralement opposés
  • comme chien et chatunable to agree; opposing
  • diamétralement opposésunable to agree; opposing
German auf Kriegsfuß, in den Haaren
  • auf Kriegsfußunable to agree; opposing
  • in den Haarenunable to agree; opposing
  • völlig uneinsunable to agree; opposing
Hungarian hadilábon áll, faséban van
  • hadilábon állunable to agree; opposing
  • faséban vanunable to agree; opposing
Icelandic elda grátt silfur
  • elda grátt silfurunable to agree; opposing
Italian ai ferri corti
  • ai ferri cortiunable to agree; opposing
Māori pōngurunguru
  • pōngurunguruunable to agree; opposing
Norwegian Bokmål som hund og katt
  • som hund og kattunable to agree; opposing
Russian в ссо́ре, несогла́сный
  • в ссо́ре (v ssóre)unable to agree; opposing
  • несогла́сный (nesoglásnyj)unable to agree; opposing
  • на ножа́х (na nožáx)unable to agree; opposing
Spanish de pique, a la greña
  • de piqueunable to agree; opposing
  • a la greñaunable to agree; opposing
Cite this entry
APA

at loggerheads. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20loggerheads

MLA

“at loggerheads.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20loggerheads. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “at loggerheads,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/at%20loggerheads.

Source: at loggerheads on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.