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
Charles Trepany, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
The alumni do not want the face-off to be a one-off.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 22 Aug. 2025
Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2025
New Format This season onwards, teams will no longer be divided into groups but rather face off in one big league phase.
—Neel Shelat, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Noun
Now, the candidates for New York City mayor have taken their face-off to the gym − specifically, the bench press rack.
—Charles Trepany, USA Today, 27 Aug. 2025
The alumni do not want the face-off to be a one-off.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 22 Aug. 2025
Verb
The two rivals previously faced off in the 1997 mayoral race.
—Miami Herald, 20 Sep. 2025
New Format This season onwards, teams will no longer be divided into groups but rather face off in one big league phase.
—Neel Shelat, Forbes.com, 19 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for face-off
Noun
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The Aztecs are 14-0 in the history of the rivalry.—
Bill Center,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
22 Sep. 2025
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But for two California Democrats, who may both have their eye on the same political prize when the Democratic primaries for president roll around in 2028, could this be a slight indication of a burgeoning political and personal rivalry?—
Julia Prodis Sulek,
Mercury News,
22 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The Tonale competes with compact and subcompact luxury SUVs like the Audi Q3, BMW X2, Lexus UX and Mercedes GLA.—
Mark Phelan,
USA Today,
27 Sep. 2025
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Zooming out a little, these centres will act as part of a national industrial policy, with local governments competing to set up their own robot bases to attract companies and funding.—
Christopher McFadden,
Interesting Engineering,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Pascal Siakam and Obi Toppin return at power forward, while Aaron Nesmith is set to start on the wing, and Jay Huff and Isaiah Jackson battle for the center spot.—
Grant Afseth,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Sep. 2025
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Democratic attorneys general are no strangers to using their offices to fight political battles.—
Jeremy Kohler,
ProPublica,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Government lawyers contend that remedies must be designed to restore competition, and Google's iron grip on online display ads can only be solved in one way.—
Ryan Whitwam,
ArsTechnica,
22 Sep. 2025
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Poa contends this presents a conflict that is unsupported by the statute, case law or agency guidance.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
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On the right, United States international Chris Richards has grown in assurance, particularly in his ability to win aerial duels.—
Matt Woosnam,
New York Times,
21 Sep. 2025
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One of the weirdest races in their duels was the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, which saw them both experience a tough run of luck completely independent from each other.—
Nelson Espinal,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This time, as Tigers second baseman Gleyber Torres raced toward the ball, Kwan advanced to third.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
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The technology has rapidly developed since the release of ChatGPT in 2022, and companies are racing to build more powerful models, but some experts warn of potentially deadly risks and have called for safeguards.—
Tom Chivers,
semafor.com,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The Ryder Cup is the one competition in golf that should be played in front of an intense, feverish crowd, the kind that can’t be captured by the virtual reality headsets European captain Luke Donald gave his players.—
Ian O'Connor,
New York Times,
24 Sep. 2025
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But turning lethal combat into a competition creates moral challenges on an entirely new scale, and solving them does not seem high on Ukraine’s present list of priorities.—
Simon Shuster,
Time,
24 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Agents involved in the kneeling said they were caught between orders to avoid confrontation and the reality of facing angry crowds, sources told Reuters.—
Michael Dorgan,
FOXNews.com,
27 Sep. 2025
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Freddie is a counterpoint to Daniel Plainview, a similarly alchemical creation, but one who’s all id, at one point driving away from Dodd across the salt flats and leaving him for years, and then finding his way back to his side for a confrontation that feels like a dream.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
25 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Face-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/face-off. Accessed 29 Sep. 2025.
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