as in rivalry
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
the softball rivals met in an epic confrontation on the last weekend of the summer
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Recent Examples of confrontation
While neither China nor India is willing to enter into a direct confrontation with the West, both are happy to see Russia pushing an anti-Western agenda.
—
Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
But Tchervinski, who is White, also was seen in a cellphone video appearing to slap a Black man in the face during a confrontation in the street, which escalated into a physical fight.
—Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati Enquirer, 4 Sep. 2025
As Charley tells Harrison during a brief confrontation, Dexter is practically still a stranger to him.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2025
Create Safe Alternatives For Sharing Feedback Some employees may hesitate to share concerns directly with leadership due to fear of confrontation or retribution.
—Clare Miller, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for confrontation
Ivana Kottasová, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2025
But Tchervinski, who is White, also was seen in a cellphone video appearing to slap a Black man in the face during a confrontation in the street, which escalated into a physical fight.
—Kevin Grasha, Cincinnati Enquirer, 4 Sep. 2025
As Charley tells Harrison during a brief confrontation, Dexter is practically still a stranger to him.
—Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 4 Sep. 2025
Create Safe Alternatives For Sharing Feedback Some employees may hesitate to share concerns directly with leadership due to fear of confrontation or retribution.
—Clare Miller, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for confrontation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confrontation
Noun
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The Border War will be back in Columbia next week, the renewal of a historic rivalry that hasn’t been played in football since 2011.—
Maddie Hartley,
Kansas City Star,
29 Aug. 2025
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Apart from maintaining his streak at the Diamond League, this win also highlights Lyle’s and Tebogo’s growing on-track rivalry.—
Paras J. Haji,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The move is the latest update in a years-long battle over the home of the military's newest combatant command, which is now based in Colorado Springs.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
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In August 2024, Francesca opened up about her mom’s battle with Parkinson’s disease in a video on TikTok.—
Kirsty Hatcher,
People.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The decision stems from a class action lawsuit filed during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the financial struggles of disabled individuals who lost part-time jobs.—
Laura Schulte,
jsonline.com,
5 Sep. 2025
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During an appearance on Today With Jenna & Friends, Cummings, 43, candidly joked about her experience with postpartum depression after welcoming her son Henry back in December 2023, sharing that her struggles even inspired the name of her ongoing Big Baby tour.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The 27-year-old is technical, strong in duels, has a great engine to move up and down the pitch, a good ball progresser and reader of the game.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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After Fairview won 35-30 in a duel last fall, the two programs from the northwest quadrant of the metro delivered another intriguing bout in 2025.—
Matt Schubert,
Denver Post,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The treble — a club winning their domestic league title, main domestic cup competition and the European Cup/Champions League — has happened 11 times, with Barcelona and Bayern Munich the only sides to do so more than once.—
Will Jeanes,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
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Budgets are tight, and even in this tiny economic niche, competition is steep because many sell the same products to the same audience.—
Hope Karnopp,
jsonline.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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And if someone begins filming you during the potential conflict?—
Toria Sheffield,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
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The country is also the site of the Western Hemisphere’s longest-running internal armed conflict, and constitutionally requires all men between the ages of 18 and 24 to undertake some form of military service.—
Rebecca Johns,
Miami Herald,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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In service of that goal, the government has abandoned due process in favor of media warfare, preemptive declarations of guilt and freezes on billions in critical federal funding.—
Peter Elkind,
ProPublica,
27 Aug. 2025
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His arrest, and the circumstances around it, have thrust the organization into a period of bloody warfare between rival factions.—
Josh Meyer,
USA Today,
26 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The younger Woods is far from contention for the title in the 54-hole event, which concludes Sunday.—
Julio Cesar Valdera Morales,
MSNBC Newsweek,
30 Aug. 2025
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Because both teams enter in the top three, the loser will likely not be eliminated from CFP contention on the results of this game alone, but the outcome will heavily influence the early playoff narrative and shape how each team’s margin for error is perceived moving forward.—
Giovanni Malloy,
Forbes.com,
29 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confrontation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confrontation. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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