as in rivalry
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
the annual fall face-off between these traditional rivals is a big event for both football-mad colleges
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of face-off
Gerrad Hall, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
For Cuomo the stakes of the face-off were especially high.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025
Arkansas Online, 5 Jan. 2026
On the first day of 2026, the actor and comedian continued his hilarious holiday tradition of dressing up for hockey games, this time showing up in full NHL referee gear to watch the Los Angeles Kings face off against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Noun
Roberts' costar Ayo Edebiri talks about their intense face-off.
—Gerrad Hall, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
For Cuomo the stakes of the face-off were especially high.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
Iowa State and Arkansas State faced off twice with Raynor at the helm.
—Arkansas Online, 5 Jan. 2026
On the first day of 2026, the actor and comedian continued his hilarious holiday tradition of dressing up for hockey games, this time showing up in full NHL referee gear to watch the Los Angeles Kings face off against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
—Emlyn Travis, Entertainment Weekly, 3 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for face-off
Noun
-
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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It is measured in the millions of students striving for opportunity—most of them raising children, working jobs, serving in uniform, or making rent and mortgage payments with other bills competing for their attention.—
Yolanda Watson Spiva,
Fortune,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The Co-Production Market will feature 22 feature films and five documentaries competing for $20,000 in cash grants.—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
8 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
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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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
-
The return from injury of Gravenberch, who won six of his eight duels, was another welcome sight, along with Alexis Mac Allister completing 90 minutes for Liverpool for the first time since April.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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Much like the classic Tom Brady-Peyton Manning duels of old, the quarterback matchup between Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen — the two current MVP frontrunners — is can’t-miss television.—
Pete Sweeney,
Kansas City Star,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The Clippers raced to a 14-5 lead, but the Knicks answered with eight straight points and the game was close for the first three quarters.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
-
In Altadena, employees with the small local water utilities raced across town protecting and fixing the water systems firefighters relied on.—
Noah Haggerty,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
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That simple change would introduce real competition, allowing merchants to choose lower-cost options and forcing the dominant players to compete on price and service--just like any other market.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
9 Jan. 2026
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Two years ago at the Winter X Games, Kim became the first woman to pull off a 1260-degree spin in competition.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
9 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
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
“Face-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/face-off. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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