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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of confrontation
Newsom has pushed back against the criticism, embracing the confrontation with Trump through interviews and public speeches.
—
Filip Timotija, The Hill, 15 June 2025
Until recently, Iran could rely on its terror puppets in Hezbollah and Hamas and Syria to attack Israel during a confrontation, but those puppets are all gone now, defanged and destroyed.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 14 June 2025
Asked about the confrontation during the press conference, Noem initially criticized Padilla’s interruption, according to a livestream.
—Nik Popli, Time, 13 June 2025
Tensions between the Southeast Asian countries have soared since an armed confrontation in a border area on May 28 left one Cambodian soldier dead.
—Sopheng Cheang, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for confrontation
Filip Timotija, The Hill, 15 June 2025
Until recently, Iran could rely on its terror puppets in Hezbollah and Hamas and Syria to attack Israel during a confrontation, but those puppets are all gone now, defanged and destroyed.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 14 June 2025
Asked about the confrontation during the press conference, Noem initially criticized Padilla’s interruption, according to a livestream.
—Nik Popli, Time, 13 June 2025
Tensions between the Southeast Asian countries have soared since an armed confrontation in a border area on May 28 left one Cambodian soldier dead.
—Sopheng Cheang, Los Angeles Times, 13 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for confrontation
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confrontation
Noun
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McIntyre believes their rivalry was proof that personal tension can enhance storytelling.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 June 2025
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The Wolf Pack have fallen behind in the Mountain West in recent years, and are staying in the conference while others head to the Pac-12, so that rivalry flame is dying.—
Shaun Goodwin,
Idaho Statesman,
23 June 2025
Noun
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While the legal battle is ongoing, the judge's ruling is an early win for the states and a setback for the Trump administration.—
Camila Domonoske,
NPR,
25 June 2025
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That same month, Adams withdrew his candidacy for the Democratic primary, saying the legal battle had prevented him from effectively campaigning.—
Solcyré Burga,
Time,
25 June 2025
Noun
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Consumers are putting values first — even at a time of economic struggle.—
Alexandra Pastore,
Footwear News,
17 June 2025
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So are the novels, in the end, tragedies—narratives of the private toll of service in a noble struggle?—
Rav Grewal-Kök
June 16,
Literary Hub,
16 June 2025
Noun
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Here, Koulibaly chips the ball towards Lodi… … and Alexander-Arnold is in position to contest the aerial duel.—
Ahmed Walid,
New York Times,
19 June 2025
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Pitchers Danny Wallace and Ryan Papa combined to allow just one run on six hits in the duel with Wunsch.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
15 June 2025
Noun
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Gregg Newton | Afp | Getty Images Amazon’s second batch of Kuiper internet satellites reached low Earth orbit on Monday, adding to its plans for a massive constellation and ramping up competition with SpaceX’s Starlink.—
Annie Palmer,
CNBC,
23 June 2025
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This sort of multidisciplinary excellence is rare for Olympic competition; athletes are by necessity ultra specialized.—
Michelle Bruton,
Forbes.com,
23 June 2025
Noun
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Sen Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, moved to limit Trump's powers by introducing a floor resolution that would require approval from Congress before the U.S. could get involved in a military conflict with Iran.—
Alexandra Hutzler,
ABC News,
19 June 2025
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Some of Trump’s allies, including Stephen Bannon and Tucker Carlson, fear that Israel will drag the U.S. military into the conflict.—
Eric Cortellessa,
Time,
19 June 2025
Noun
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Across the border from Kursk, in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy region, Ukrainian soldiers who battled those soldiers described how the North Koreans went from suffering massive losses to learning electronic warfare.—
Joanna Kakissis,
NPR,
16 June 2025
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Radical, often foreign jihadists still make up a significant portion of the armed forces, ISIS is resurgent, former Assad loyalists remain dissatisfied, the economy is nonexistent from 13 years of warfare, and countless sectarian divisions threaten to rupture at any moment.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
15 June 2025
Noun
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If either team were to lose this match, they would effectively be eliminated from contention after both failed to gain any points during their Gold Cup openers.—
Ben Verbrugge,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 June 2025
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Although few would consider those players franchise-altering names, their developments were promising enough to help the Lakers retool their roster to not only entice James to go West, but build around him for one last window of contention under the Buss family’s watch.—
James Jackson,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confrontation.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confrontation. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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