tit-for-tat en · ADJ
Etymology
From tit for tat.
Meanings
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(not-comparable) Having the characteristic of returning bad for bad.
It’s been nearly four years since China put tariffs on American-grown soybeans during a tit-for-tat trade war with then-President Donald Trump – and they remain in place despite the change in administrations.
2022 May 8, Katie Lobosco, “Trump’s trade war looms over soybean farmers 4 years later”, in CNN:Amid fears that the end to more than five and a half years of talks would lead to a new era of tit-for-tat protectionism, negotiations between the United States and the European Union broke down.
2007 June 22, The Guardian, London:Unfortunately, many adults retain a tit-for-tat attitude, but in a more refined way than the simple, childish shove for shove.