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
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for eyeball-to-eyeball
Adverb
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Any terms related to the loss of land, for example, can be resolved only when Zelensky and Putin meet face-to-face.—
Simon Shuster,
The Atlantic,
12 Feb. 2026 -
Duren turned around to get face-to-face with Diabate and the two appeared to butt heads.—
Steve Reed,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Embracing those expectations rather than fighting them, Kok extended her two-year-plus unbeaten streak at her sport’s shortest distance Sunday, adding a gold medal and the Olympic record to her world mark, beating Jackson head-to-head in the final heat and relegating Leerdam to the silver.—
Howard Fendrich,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
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Based on the committee’s projections, the Huskies could go head-to-head with Ralph’s squad in the Final Four.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
15 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Ethan Hawke embraced politics head-on at the Berlin Film Festival on Tuesday ahead of the premiere of his latest movie, The Weight.—
Etan Vlessing,
HollywoodReporter,
17 Feb. 2026
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Two people were killed and a third person was seriously injured Monday afternoon following a head-on collision on Highway 49 in El Dorado County, officials said.—
Richard Ramos,
CBS News,
17 Feb. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Eyeball-to-eyeball.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/eyeball-to-eyeball. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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