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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Recent Examples of face-off
Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 16 Aug. 2025
The video, currently making the rounds on social media, features Gunn and Corenswet having an impassioned discussion on set about Superman's motivation during the film's climactic speech and face-off between Superman and Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult).
—Maureen Lee Lenker Published, EW.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
The Queens assemblyman will face off against Adams and Cuomo, who are both running on independent tickets, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.
—ABC News, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Noun
The highly anticipated face-off on American soil lasted over three hours as White House aides and long-term diplomats from Moscow led bilateral discussions at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
—Ashleigh Fields, The Hill, 16 Aug. 2025
The video, currently making the rounds on social media, features Gunn and Corenswet having an impassioned discussion on set about Superman's motivation during the film's climactic speech and face-off between Superman and Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult).
—Maureen Lee Lenker Published, EW.com, 15 Aug. 2025
Verb
For a weekend, more than two hundred and sixty competitors from fifty-eight countries would face off in nine categories, including Swedish, Thai, chair, and Eastern- and Western-freestyle massage.
—Sarah Larson, New Yorker, 8 Sep. 2025
The Queens assemblyman will face off against Adams and Cuomo, who are both running on independent tickets, and Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.
—ABC News, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for face-off
Noun
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The rivalry itself has been tight.—
Sindiswa Mabunda,
Forbes.com,
9 Sep. 2025
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Djokovic ultimately emerged as the third man, which enriched the dynamic and added layers, creating three rivalries where previously there had been one.—
Charlie Eccleshare,
New York Times,
8 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The 21-year-old competed on the school's competitive cheer STUNT team for three years, according to an official team roster.—
Charlotte Phillipp,
PEOPLE,
7 Sep. 2025
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Clinton has decided to join a direct rival even though City will not be competing in the Champions League this season.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The move is the latest update in a years-long battle over the home of the military's newest combatant command, which is now based in Colorado Springs.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
3 Sep. 2025
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In August 2024, Francesca opened up about her mom’s battle with Parkinson’s disease in a video on TikTok.—
Kirsty Hatcher,
People.com,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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The administration contends the law is unconstitutional, asserting an expansive view of presidential power that could prompt the Supreme Court to overturn what remains of its 90-year-old precedent upholding such removal protections.—
Zach Schonfeld,
The Hill,
8 Sep. 2025
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The Los Angeles Dodgers went into Sunday having lost seven of their last eight games against non-contending teams.—
Aaliyan Mohammed,
MSNBC Newsweek,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The 27-year-old is technical, strong in duels, has a great engine to move up and down the pitch, a good ball progresser and reader of the game.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
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After Fairview won 35-30 in a duel last fall, the two programs from the northwest quadrant of the metro delivered another intriguing bout in 2025.—
Matt Schubert,
Denver Post,
6 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Several drugmakers, including Novo Nordisk's chief rival Eli Lilly, have been racing to develop obesity pills, which may help alleviate the supply shortfalls and issues accessing the injections on the market.—
Annika Kim Constantino,Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
3 Sep. 2025
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The 40-year-old Froome, who races for Israel–Premier Tech, was airlifted to hospital following a crash during training on August 27, undergoing surgery a day later.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The treble — a club winning their domestic league title, main domestic cup competition and the European Cup/Champions League — has happened 11 times, with Barcelona and Bayern Munich the only sides to do so more than once.—
Will Jeanes,
New York Times,
4 Sep. 2025
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Budgets are tight, and even in this tiny economic niche, competition is steep because many sell the same products to the same audience.—
Hope Karnopp,
jsonline.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The footage appears to show Lawrence and Pattinson in a heated confrontation, while other moments feature a character wielding a knife.—
Ryan Gajewski,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Sep. 2025
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Even as liberal-seeming Amir invites Yusuf to join the Muslim Association, an informal organization of male Arab landowners, Yusuf’s father is killed in a night-time confrontation with the settlers.—
Ritesh Mehta,
IndieWire,
5 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Face-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/face-off. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
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