as in rivalries
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 confrontations
When details couldn't be verified, NPR corroborated information with immigration experts, activists, and a developer for an app that documents confrontations with federal agents.
—
Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 29 Oct. 2025
Trump’s direct engagement and threats of limiting federal funding underscore the national stakes and foreshadow major confrontations over urban policy, federal-state relations and the Democratic Party’s direction.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
You could also be tested by stressful confrontations, urging you to stand up for yourself without losing yourself in the process.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
What followed were years of confrontations and anger.
—John Blake, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
Unlike some citizen journalists, Parias would steer clear of interfering with law enforcement or engaging in confrontations of any kind, according to Ugarte and others familiar with his work.
—Morgan Chesky, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2025
The document containing the lesson plan speaks highly of the Stonewall Riots, a series of violent confrontations between police officers and members of the LGBT community in 1969.
—Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 21 Oct. 2025
There are heated confrontations and a slap, and Alma ruins her shot at tenure after stealing a colleague's prescription pad to get more pain meds.
—Gerrad Hall, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
In Khan Younis, the Mujaida clan has also been involved in armed confrontations.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Ximena Bustillo, NPR, 29 Oct. 2025
Trump’s direct engagement and threats of limiting federal funding underscore the national stakes and foreshadow major confrontations over urban policy, federal-state relations and the Democratic Party’s direction.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 29 Oct. 2025
You could also be tested by stressful confrontations, urging you to stand up for yourself without losing yourself in the process.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 27 Oct. 2025
What followed were years of confrontations and anger.
—John Blake, CNN Money, 26 Oct. 2025
Unlike some citizen journalists, Parias would steer clear of interfering with law enforcement or engaging in confrontations of any kind, according to Ugarte and others familiar with his work.
—Morgan Chesky, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2025
The document containing the lesson plan speaks highly of the Stonewall Riots, a series of violent confrontations between police officers and members of the LGBT community in 1969.
—Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 21 Oct. 2025
There are heated confrontations and a slap, and Alma ruins her shot at tenure after stealing a colleague's prescription pad to get more pain meds.
—Gerrad Hall, Entertainment Weekly, 19 Oct. 2025
In Khan Younis, the Mujaida clan has also been involved in armed confrontations.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 17 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confrontations
Noun
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Few crosstown rivalries can compare to the one Hingham and Notre Dame Academy have developed the past few decades.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
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The history of contemporary music is littered with hundreds of rivalries both amicable and otherwise.—
Jason Newman,
Rolling Stone,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Nor are the ongoing battles to comply with rules both at home and abroad.—
Chris Weatherspoon,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
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The court battles that followed won the tribe a crucial gaming compact, and the ability to buy the land that would become home to Sky River Casino.—
Darrell Smith,
Sacbee.com,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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But behind closed doors, the then-couple were facing marital struggles, as Betty claimed in her 2015 memoir, Telling On Myself.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
9 Nov. 2025
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The struggles of being a parent and the struggles of your child are so understandably private.—
Rosemary Rossi,
Variety,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The return from injury of Gravenberch, who won six of his eight duels, was another welcome sight, along with Alexis Mac Allister completing 90 minutes for Liverpool for the first time since April.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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Much like the classic Tom Brady-Peyton Manning duels of old, the quarterback matchup between Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen — the two current MVP frontrunners — is can’t-miss television.—
Pete Sweeney,
Kansas City Star,
30 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Observers say other violent conflicts arise from communal and ethnic tensions, as well as disputes between farmers and herders over limited access to land and water resources.—
Nimi Princewill,
CNN Money,
3 Nov. 2025
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That's not to minimize our current conflicts.—
Susan Page,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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While he was banned from major competitions, Gorst traveled around the US playing smaller regional events that didn’t fall under pool’s international governing rules.—
Jeremy Herb,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
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The three-day event features million-dollar rodeo competitions each evening before the concerts.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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However, the reality is that peace talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the US and Europe are clearly stalled, if at worse dead with many contentions from both sides surrounding security concerns and, importantly, trade sanctions.—
Earl Carr,
Forbes.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confrontations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confrontations. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
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