as in one-on-one
in direct confrontation or competition
that inexperienced, upstart candidate will be going eyeball-to-eyeball with a senator who's a skilled debater
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for eyeball-to-eyeball
Adverb
-
When Carrington and Dina sit down face-to-face to negotiate Allura’s divorce, Dina brings up Chase’s relationship with Maria as a means to blackmail him.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025 -
Over the past 15 years, face-to-face socialization has declined precipitously.—
Damon Beres,
The Atlantic,
5 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
Miami has been the less consistent team, but the head-to-head results have to matter.—
Chris Vannini,
New York Times,
10 Nov. 2025
-
The Nittany Lions owned a 25-2 record in head-to-head battles.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
9 Nov. 2025
Adverb
-
More recently, Mamdani tackled the Islamophobic attacks against him head-on, with a heartfelt message that drew comparisons to Obama's race speech.—
Ben Adler,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
-
Then only weeks later, Eugene was badly injured when his car was struck head-on by another vehicle that crossed the median on a two-lane highway.—
Liz Rothaus Bertrand,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Oct. 2025
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.
Cite this Entry
“Eyeball-to-eyeball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/eyeball-to-eyeball. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share