as in rivalries
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 duels
Pol Ballús, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2026
Physical, mobile defender who excels in 1v1 duels and recovery defending.
—Abraham Nudelstejer, Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026
Canada has won four of the six Olympics championship duels with its southern neighbors, with the 2006 victory giving the country five overall Olympic women’s hockey golds.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 4 Feb. 2026
But landing big jumps in competition, when adrenaline duels with cortisol, is more difficult.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 1 Feb. 2026
Cassidy, winner of five of the last eight races going back to last season, lost in the duels quarterfinals to De Vries.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
Demon Slayer, the first of a series-ending film trilogy, is a master class in hyper-kinetic, violent battles and high-stakes melodrama, in which a sequence of epic duels is intercut with emotional character backstories.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 15 Jan. 2026
Noun
Bernal would also provide a more physical presence in duels.
—Pol Ballús, New York Times, 20 Feb. 2026
Physical, mobile defender who excels in 1v1 duels and recovery defending.
—Abraham Nudelstejer, Dallas Morning News, 18 Feb. 2026
Canada has won four of the six Olympics championship duels with its southern neighbors, with the 2006 victory giving the country five overall Olympic women’s hockey golds.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 4 Feb. 2026
But landing big jumps in competition, when adrenaline duels with cortisol, is more difficult.
—Sally Jenkins, The Atlantic, 1 Feb. 2026
Cassidy, winner of five of the last eight races going back to last season, lost in the duels quarterfinals to De Vries.
—David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 31 Jan. 2026
Demon Slayer, the first of a series-ending film trilogy, is a master class in hyper-kinetic, violent battles and high-stakes melodrama, in which a sequence of epic duels is intercut with emotional character backstories.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 15 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for duels
Noun
-
Listening felt like being pulled into side chats with lots of different characters who were at precisely the right level of intoxication to reveal something interesting to you—crushes, anxieties, rivalries.—
Spencer Kornhaber,
The Atlantic,
24 Feb. 2026
-
Lucas was also an assistant coach with Kentucky and Duke — teams that have big in-state rivalries with Louisville and North Carolina, respectively.—
Adam Lichtenstein,
Sun Sentinel,
23 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Armed with beauty, daring/hustle and sheer force of will/unwavering ambition, Undine battles an entrenched elite, fearlessly courting controversy, until love and fortune align.—
Justin Kroll,
Deadline,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Extras sporting afros and ’70s garb walk past Potente, while the crew battles noisy busses to grab a few seconds of footage.—
Pat Saperstein,
Variety,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Try to avoid clashes or direct confrontations with partners, spouses and close friends, as well as members of the general public.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
3 Mar. 2026
-
At least nine people were killed in confrontations with security forces.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
1 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
What fights will Zuffa stage and who will show them?—
Chris McKenna,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Everyone fights in their own way.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
27 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In their past 15 meetings in all competitions since January 2020, Chelsea have won just once.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
28 Feb. 2026
-
Pink proposed to Carey Hart at one of his competitions.—
Emma Banks,
InStyle,
27 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
This combats dynamic pricing based on your search history, which could lead to higher fares.—
Christopher Elliott,
Dallas Morning News,
28 Jan. 2026
-
The Last Gift Study, launched in 2017, combats that issue by conducting an autopsy immediately after a patient’s death.—
Noah Lyons,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
31 Dec. 2025
Noun
-
The idea is to catch reading struggles early on and guide parents on how to help their kids.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
26 Feb. 2026
-
Real estate struggles and the property’s primary lender going through bankruptcy thrust the hotel into its first complicated foreclosure in October 2010.—
Zachary Hansen,
AJC.com,
26 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The 2026 primary elections in Texas are on Tuesday, with hundreds of contests for statewide and local office taking place across the state.—
Steven Rosenbaum,
CBS News,
27 Feb. 2026
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The Mavericks remain on home ice next week, too, with a Wednesday game against the Tulsa Oilers, followed by Friday-Saturday contests against the Tahoe Knight Monsters at Cable Dahmer Arena.—
The Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
27 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Duels.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/duels. Accessed 4 Mar. 2026.
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