head-to-head

adverb or adjective

ˈhed-tə-ˈhed 

: in a direct confrontation or encounter usually between individuals

teams competing head-to-head for the championship

Synonyms of head-to-head

• toe-to-toe
• one-on-one
• face-to-face
• head-on

Examples of head-to-head in a Sentence

it's fitting that the two best teams during the regular season will go head-to-head for the championship

Recent Examples on the Web

Punk and Rhodes went head-to-head for WWE’s biggest prize, the Undisputed WWE Championship, on Night One of SummerSlam 2026. — Blake Oestriecher, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026

Two of the defending champions — Marist and Jefferson — will go head-to-head in Class 5A this year after Jefferson moved up one level during the GHSA’s most recent reclassification. — Chip Saye, AJC.com, 30 July 2026

Yet few studies have pitted them against each other — and this summer brought a high-profile head-to-head. — Katie Palmer, STAT, 29 July 2026

One of the last public polls before the primary showed Raman narrowly beating Bass in a hypothetical head-to-head matchup, although in that scenario well over a third of voters remained undecided or uncommitted. — Maxwell Adler, Vanity Fair, 29 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1841, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for head-to-head

• abovesaid
• aforesaid
• arrowhead
• casinghead
• copperhead
• figurehead
• fountainhead
• gingerbread
• hammerhead
• infrared
• leatherhead
• letterhead