as in rivalry
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
a duel for the title of captain of the team
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Recent Examples of duel
Ken Simmons, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026
His shot-for-shot duel to the death with SGA was befitting of an MVP referendum game.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 11 Mar. 2026
Lauren Peller, ABC News, 17 Dec. 2025
The dueling Senate votes are the latest political messaging exercise in a Congress that has operated almost entirely on partisan terms, as Republicans pushed through a massive tax and spending cuts bill this summer using budget maneuvers that eliminated the need for Democratic votes.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for duel
Noun
Jordan is magnetic in the role and eventually becomes king before T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) returns from his apparent death for their climactic duel.
—Ken Simmons, Entertainment Weekly, 12 Mar. 2026
His shot-for-shot duel to the death with SGA was befitting of an MVP referendum game.
—Bennett Durando, Denver Post, 11 Mar. 2026
Verb
The Senate already rejected a clean three-year extension of the subsidies in a pair of dueling health care votes last week, though several Republican senators crossed the aisle to join all Democrats in supporting it.
—Lauren Peller, ABC News, 17 Dec. 2025
The dueling Senate votes are the latest political messaging exercise in a Congress that has operated almost entirely on partisan terms, as Republicans pushed through a massive tax and spending cuts bill this summer using budget maneuvers that eliminated the need for Democratic votes.
—Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 11 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for duel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for duel
Noun
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Baseball’s richest rivalry still draws national fascination.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
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Despite long-standing rivalries among senior Iranian politicians — many of whom hold powerful political positions and control significant economic resources — these factions quickly set aside their differences and pledged loyalty to him.—
Pegah Banihashemi,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Federal prosecutors last year subpoenaed Kansas City for contracts between City Hall and the leader of a local nonprofit that works to combat homelessness, a revelation that confirms a key focus of an ongoing criminal investigation.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
13 Mar. 2026
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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney faces mounting pressure to combat a violent surge in antisemitism after three Toronto-area synagogues were struck by gunfire in a single week.—
Staff,
FOXNews.com,
12 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The war inside The game was ultimately decided by the battle inside the paint as TCU’s frontline of Punch and junior center Xavier Edmonds scrapped and clawed with Kansas’ talented big men Flory Bidunga and Bryson Tiller.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Mar. 2026
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He was involved in multiple relegation battles and believes having the right mindset is key.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Zelenskyy noted that providing interceptors was not enough to help fight drone attacks.—
SYLVIE CORBET,
Arkansas Online,
14 Mar. 2026
-
Pakistan denied targeting civilians, as fighting between the neighbors entered its third week.—
Abdul Qahar Afghan,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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At the time, the country was in the throes of a political struggle over leadership following the killing, with the interim prime minister, Claude Joseph, initially in charge before his replacement, Ariel Henry, took over.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
17 Mar. 2026
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Lane mentions the farmers’ struggle and how the president did not help them out.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
16 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The company’s legal defense contended that the claims in the lawsuit lack merit and pledged to vigorously defend against them in court.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Habermas and other opponents contended that the conservative historians were trying to lessen the magnitude of Nazi crimes through such comparisons.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
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That is to say that the way the current system is set up distorts the healthcare economy in ways that don’t allow for much price competition, with ever-rising insurance premiums as the result.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
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Several regional nations have recently become key targets in a great power competition between the US and China for greater control of the continent’s resources.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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During the confrontation, one of the men fired the gun, and a bullet grazed a man in the leg.—
Kristi Miller,
Twin Cities,
16 Mar. 2026
-
Nobody wants a prolonged confrontation.—
Jack Fink,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Duel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/duel. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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