"go to the mat" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "A reference to wrestling.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "goes to the mat",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "going to the mat",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "went to the mat",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "gone to the mat",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "go<goes,,went,gone> to the mat"
      },
      "expansion": "go to the mat (third-person singular simple present goes to the mat, present participle going to the mat, simple past went to the mat, past participle gone to the mat)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "American English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English light verb constructions",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English predicates",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "He was ready to go to the mat to keep the old color scheme.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To continue to struggle or fight until either victorious or defeated."
      ],
      "id": "en-go_to_the_mat-en-verb-xWcahYNw",
      "links": [
        [
          "continue",
          "continue"
        ],
        [
          "struggle",
          "struggle"
        ],
        [
          "fight",
          "fight"
        ],
        [
          "victorious",
          "victorious"
        ],
        [
          "defeated",
          "defeated"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(chiefly US, idiomatic) To continue to struggle or fight until either victorious or defeated."
      ],
      "related": [
        {
          "word": "go to the mattresses"
        },
        {
          "word": "go to the wall"
        }
      ],
      "synonyms": [
        {
          "word": "go to the mats"
        }
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-go to the mat.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/8a/En-au-go_to_the_mat.ogg/En-au-go_to_the_mat.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/En-au-go_to_the_mat.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "word": "go to the mat"
}

{
  "etymology_text": "A reference to wrestling.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "goes to the mat",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "going to the mat",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "went to the mat",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "gone to the mat",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "go<goes,,went,gone> to the mat"
      },
      "expansion": "go to the mat (third-person singular simple present goes to the mat, present participle going to the mat, simple past went to the mat, past participle gone to the mat)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "go to the mattresses"
    },
    {
      "word": "go to the wall"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "American English",
        "English entries with incorrect language header",
        "English idioms",
        "English lemmas",
        "English light verb constructions",
        "English multiword terms",
        "English predicates",
        "English terms with usage examples",
        "English verbs",
        "Pages with 1 entry",
        "Pages with entries"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "He was ready to go to the mat to keep the old color scheme.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To continue to struggle or fight until either victorious or defeated."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "continue",
          "continue"
        ],
        [
          "struggle",
          "struggle"
        ],
        [
          "fight",
          "fight"
        ],
        [
          "victorious",
          "victorious"
        ],
        [
          "defeated",
          "defeated"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(chiefly US, idiomatic) To continue to struggle or fight until either victorious or defeated."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "US",
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "en-au-go to the mat.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/8/8a/En-au-go_to_the_mat.ogg/En-au-go_to_the_mat.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/En-au-go_to_the_mat.ogg"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "word": "go to the mats"
    }
  ],
  "word": "go to the mat"
}