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
Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 29 Oct. 2025
After winning a classic 18-inning duel in Game 3 on Monday night, one that featured key contributions from a series of Dodgers relievers, old bad habits resurfaced Tuesday night in Game 4 as the Blue Jays evened the series with a 6-2 victory.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 29 Oct. 2025
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
Woody decides to challenge Colin to a old fashioned duel with pistols.
—Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 29 Oct. 2025
After winning a classic 18-inning duel in Game 3 on Monday night, one that featured key contributions from a series of Dodgers relievers, old bad habits resurfaced Tuesday night in Game 4 as the Blue Jays evened the series with a 6-2 victory.
—Jim Alexander, Oc Register, 29 Oct. 2025
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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Small and middle powers, particularly those from the Global South, are stepping into this breach and providing an essential public good that great powers, bound by their own rivalries, increasingly cannot.—
Galip Dalay,
Time,
6 Jan. 2026
-
And there is a friendly rivalry there.—
Lou Ponsi,
Oc Register,
6 Jan. 2026
Verb
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The state has also advanced in large-scale restoration through innovative mechanisms such as restoration concessions, while intensifying actions to combat deforestation and forest fires.—
MSNBC Newsweek,
MSNBC Newsweek,
6 Nov. 2025
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To combat some of these bias issues, Giga is working with open-source and multilingual LLMs and has developed a feature that lets customers opt into talking in a native language.—
Beatrice Nolan,
Fortune,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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With a high-stakes battle for the 2026 midterms looming, the Evergreen State appears poised to join the trend of states using congressional redistricting for partisan advantage.—
Center Square,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026
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Rattler won the quarterback battle in training camp over Shough, but after going 1-7, Moore made the switch to his rookie.—
Scott Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Barton gave the jury the impression of a man prepared to go into daily combat on numerous fronts, constantly fighting one battle after another, in service of his principles.—
Greg O'Keeffe,
New York Times,
9 Nov. 2025
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Players fought, fought, fought, gave us every chance in the world.—
Maddie Hartley,
Kansas City Star,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
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From its beginning, the leaders of the rebellion well understood the global reach and resonance of their great struggle.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
7 Nov. 2025
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The historic build-up stands in stark contrast to the United States’ own supply struggles.—
Tamara Qiblawi,
CNN Money,
7 Nov. 2025
Verb
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The suits contend that part of the reason for the dry hydrants is that the LADWP’s 117-million-gallon reservoir in Pacific Palisades had been empty for nearly a year, awaiting repairs.—
Tony Saavedra,
Daily News,
6 Jan. 2026
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All of Bed Bath & Beyond’s complaints have contended that the carriers compounded the retailer’s operational and financial distress throughout the pandemic as shelves went empty and costs soared, ultimately leading to the company’s demise.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Starbucks has also come under intense competition from the surging popularity of tea drinks chains like Mixue Bingcheng, ChaGee and HeyTea.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
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Several banks lowered their price targets following the earnings report, pointing to increasing competition from larger social platforms like Instagram and TikTok and concerns over macro headwinds.—
Jaures Yip,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The confrontation, which played out on a livestream, quickly went viral and garnered the attention of pageant followers worldwide.—
Allison DeGrushe,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Nov. 2025
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After all, the tension between these planets can stir up emotional confrontations, magnetic attractions and psychological power plays.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Duel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/duel. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
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