as in rivalry
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
the annual fall face-off between these traditional rivals is a big event for both football-mad colleges
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Recent Examples of face-off
Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2025
Duke won the last meeting, a February face-off at Cameron Indoor, while UNC took their January game at home and in overtime.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Alec MacGillis, ProPublica, 3 Apr. 2025
Listen to this article Fresh off of getting his federal corruption case dropped, Mayor Adams plans to face off against his challengers in a candidates forum Thursday — one of his first major campaign appearances of the 2025 cycle.
—Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Noun
Chinese and Philippine vessels have engaged in multiple collisions and face-offs over the past year as tensions elevated around hotspot areas of contention in the South China Sea.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 28 Mar. 2025
Duke won the last meeting, a February face-off at Cameron Indoor, while UNC took their January game at home and in overtime.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
Verb
Rabinowitz and his new colleagues at Legal Aid were occasionally facing off against a former colleague.
—Alec MacGillis, ProPublica, 3 Apr. 2025
Listen to this article Fresh off of getting his federal corruption case dropped, Mayor Adams plans to face off against his challengers in a candidates forum Thursday — one of his first major campaign appearances of the 2025 cycle.
—Chris Sommerfeldt, New York Daily News, 2 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for face-off
Noun
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Ricky Steamboat From Clash Of The Champions 6 The intense rivalry between Ricky Steamboat and Flair produced some of the most celebrated matches in professional wrestling history.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Apr. 2025
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The sports drama, inspired by the real-life rivalry between Go masters Cho Hun-hyun and Lee Chang-ho, earned $3.5 million from 544,259 admissions, securing 61.74% of the weekend market share, according to Kobis, the tracking service operated by the Korean Film Council.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
31 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Eventually, some programs may decide that trying to compete isn't worth the expense, said Sam Ehrlich, a professor at Boise State University who tracks college sports litigation.—
Becky Sullivan,
NPR,
7 Apr. 2025
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This marks the show’s first time competing in the full-length variety talk category after previously entering in short form fields.—
Clayton Davis,
Variety,
7 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Despite being a nonpartisan race, the Badger State contest served as a national proxy battle for Democratic officials and progressive groups, who are grasping at any glimmer of hope amid Trump 2.0's dominance in Washington that has expanded to other parts of the country and culture.—
Phillip M. Bailey,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2025
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Kilmer's passing comes after years of public and private health struggles, most notably his long battle with throat cancer.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
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Newsmax also contended that what Kelly said was protected opinion.—
Ted Johnson,
Deadline,
9 Apr. 2025
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The pro-Trump side contends that Barrett’s facial expression and body language connote hostility, though such an interpretation is, at best, in the eye of the beholder.—
Niall Stanage,
The Hill,
9 Apr. 2025
Noun
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With a brewing 60 meter sprint race between NFL champion Tyreek Hill and Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles locked in for sometime later this year, conversations have been running amok as to whether the crossover duel will actually field a competitive race.—
Cory Mull,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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Snell duels with Tarik Skubal, the incumbent AL Triple-Crowner and last year’s unanimous AL Cy Young.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
27 Mar. 2025
Verb
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The 14-odd members of the McCallister family raced through Terminal 3 before miraculously hopping aboard their American Airlines flight at gate K-12.—
Kori Rumore,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2025
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Other notable names will be racing alongside McLaughlin-Levrone, such as Dalilah Muhammad, the former world record holder in the 400-meter hurdles.—
Katelyn Hutchison,
Forbes.com,
4 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Another directorial debut, the French drama Partir un Jour from first-timer Amélie Bonnin, will open this year’s festival, screening out of competition.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Apr. 2025
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That also plays out of competition in Cannes Premiere.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
10 Apr. 2025
Noun
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An eyewitness told police that the confrontation between the two boys began when Metcalf asked Anthony to move out from under the tent that had been set up for members of his high school track team on the field that day.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
People.com,
6 Apr. 2025
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There is a humiliation that is at play with the ankle monitor, and then the confrontation with Chad happening at my workplace is kind of her nightmare.—
Hunter Ingram,
Variety,
4 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Face-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/face-off. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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