dueling

variants or duelling
present participle of duel

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dueling
Verb
  • Muslim leaders and community members, in turn, told the USA TODAY Network they’re left fighting to defend their faith and warning the nation that its founding principles are at stake.
    BrieAnna J. Frank, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2026
  • But Verstappen had enough to pull clear in the last few laps and grab third, with the McLaren drivers slowed fighting amongst themselves.
    Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 6 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The Flames and head coach Jamey Chadwell should be back to contending in Conference USA, led by transfer running backs Kam Davis (Florida State) and Kanye Udoh (Arizona State).
    Justin Williams, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Another group of scholars eventually refuted the claims in 2023, contending the ring had no connection to anyone named Pilate.
    Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 3 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • While Kaepernick was out of the league, the NFL went about trying to turn the temperature down on his protest, battling the aftermath of an especially divisive election and a ratings slide some attributed to the player demonstrations.
    Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 1 Sep. 2026
  • After battling competitors from America, France and Lithuania, Gunn didn’t earn a single vote from judges.
    Erin Jensen, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Such tools for combating oppressive heat look prescient now, but Stierli isn’t impressed; Tropical Modernism was sensitive to the region’s climate but not to its culture.
    Justin Davidson, Curbed, 2 Sep. 2026
  • That's the reverse of the Senate race ideologically, in which Markey − a leader in combating climate change − is to Moulton's left.
    Margie Cullen, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Based on its trailer, Wild Horse Nine, which premieres in competition on September 3, seems to find McDonagh back in his sweet spot, helming a pitch-black comedy about two charismatic men wrestling with their dark pasts.
    Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 1 Sep. 2026
  • In the trailer for the show, the cast gets physical (literally), wrestling over clothes in a challenge.
    Lindsay Kimble, PEOPLE, 31 Aug. 2026
Verb
  • Liverpool are grappling with the demands of Andoni Iraola’s philosophy, and that has meant playing at a higher tempo.
    Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The district is grappling with a $222 million structural deficit, and its unrestricted contribution to special education has more than doubled since 2018-19.
    Sacbee.com, Sacbee.com, 4 Sep. 2026
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Dueling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dueling. Accessed 7 Sep. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster