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
James O'Connell, Hartford Courant, 20 Apr. 2025
The actor also muses on Cap's relationship with Yancy, his face-off with Austin Water and Power, and more.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 17 Apr. 2025
Katcy Stephan, Variety, 23 Apr. 2025
McGregor nearly returned in 2024 to finally face off against Chandler, but things went off the rails.
—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Noun
Property of the week: Exceptional CT colonial on cul-de-sac
CT face-off unfolding on taxes.
—James O'Connell, Hartford Courant, 20 Apr. 2025
The actor also muses on Cap's relationship with Yancy, his face-off with Austin Water and Power, and more.
—Maureen Lee Lenker, EW.com, 17 Apr. 2025
Verb
As shown in the new trailer, Atsu will have to do just that, facing off with fearsome foes while traveling through both lush blue fields of flowers and rocky, mountainous terrain.
—Katcy Stephan, Variety, 23 Apr. 2025
McGregor nearly returned in 2024 to finally face off against Chandler, but things went off the rails.
—Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for face-off
Noun
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Orlando City and Atlanta United will meet on Saturday in a fierce rivalry MLS matchup, a game soccer fans in the U.S. won't want to miss.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Apr. 2025
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Reflecting on their past as competing late-night talk show hosts, Leno said that the way the media portrayed their rivalry was not accurate.—
Liza Esquibias,
People.com,
24 Apr. 2025
Verb
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With Rakhmonov unable to compete at UFC 314, the UFC opted to book Muhammad against Della Maddalena in Montreal.—
Trent Reinsmith,
Forbes.com,
1 May 2025
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The company now competes with the world’s top cloud providers, as well as smaller-scale operators such as Lambda.—
Jordan Novet,
CNBC,
1 May 2025
Noun
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The Trump administration is also embroiled in a contentious legal battle regarding deportation involving Kilmar Abrego Garcia.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
MSNBC Newsweek,
26 Apr. 2025
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In short, Saturday's clash will bring to a head a battle between two families, two fighters caught in a war started by their fathers, and Eubank won't even have his by his side as they are still estranged.—
Brian Mazique,
Forbes.com,
26 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The Justice Department contended the jurisdictions lacked legal standing and their claims weren’t ripe because the cities haven’t yet lost any funds.—
Zach Schonfeld,
The Hill,
24 Apr. 2025
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Beyond the trade secret misappropriation allegations, Flexport contends that all three defendants infringed its source code copyrights.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The show is partially set before the events of Revenge of the Sith, which ends with Anakin’s transformation into Darth Vader after being severely injured in a lightsaber duel with Obi-Wan.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
19 Apr. 2025
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The 36-year-old deGrom, who also remains in that conversation even on the backside of his career, was almost as good in Friday’s pitcher’s duel.—
Jack Harris,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The Danish drugmaker is racing to capture more patients now that many compounding pharmacies are legally restricted from making cheaper, unapproved versions of Wegovy, with rare exceptions.—
Annika Kim Constantino,Ashley Capoot,
CNBC,
29 Apr. 2025
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China, in particular, is racing to close the gap by pouring state investment into its universities.—
Sarah Kreps,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The next generation of engineers, programmers and innovators is competing in robotics competitions today.—
Dan Mantz,
Forbes.com,
24 Apr. 2025
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This year, there's little other competition for NFL-ready quarterbacks.—
Becky Sullivan,
NPR,
24 Apr. 2025
Noun
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The confrontation between Antetokounmpo and Haliburton’s dad overshadowed what was a thrilling game on Tuesday.—
Ben Morse,
CNN Money,
30 Apr. 2025
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The confrontation occurred near North Waziristan, a former stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, along the volatile Afghan border.—
Mohammed Soliman,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Face-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/face-off. Accessed 4 May. 2025.
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