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
Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2025
However, Snell isn't taking anything in particular away from that last face-off with Cincy.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Jordan Moreau, Variety, 11 Oct. 2025
Lewis Tan led the 2021 film as Cole Young, an MMA fighter facing off against Outworld enemies in a high-stakes battle for the universe.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Noun
The video, shared on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), captures the robot showing off its Kung Fu moves on the red carpet in a playful face-off with the popular actor and musician.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 7 Oct. 2025
However, Snell isn't taking anything in particular away from that last face-off with Cincy.
—Jackson Roberts, MSNBC Newsweek, 30 Sep. 2025
Verb
Daredevil, aka the blind lawyer Matt Murdock, faced off against Vincent D’Onofrio’s Wilson Fisk, aka the Kingpin, who ascended to mayor of New York City.
—Jordan Moreau, Variety, 11 Oct. 2025
Lewis Tan led the 2021 film as Cole Young, an MMA fighter facing off against Outworld enemies in a high-stakes battle for the universe.
—Matt Grobar, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for face-off
Noun
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There is also a danger that anger with Hamas and rivalries within the Palestinian community in Gaza could now explode, analysts say.—
Robert Birsel,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
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The men’s opposing theories, murder versus suicide, became entangled in a rivalry over who had known and understood him best.—
Eren Orbey,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
Verb
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His sons, who compete as The Usos and Solo Sikoa, as well as his nephew Roman Reigns, have continued his legacy as central figures in WWE.—
Andrew Ravens,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 Oct. 2025
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Dolce Vita Notice Sneakers Colorful sneakers aren’t going anywhere, and these bold lavender and orange kicks from Dolce Vita are an easy gateway into the trend with a far more manageable price point than other competing options.—
Merrell Readman,
Travel + Leisure,
18 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Keeping track of what both Pokémon are doing, each of their health bars, the animations for each attack and the battle log (which shows whether or not attacks have landed) takes a long time to get used to.—
Ryan Gaur,
Rolling Stone,
14 Oct. 2025
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With tensions rising, the film transforms into an unsettling black comedy as the colleagues descend into a battle of wills and wits.—
Maureen Lee Lenker,
Entertainment Weekly,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
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For the last several years, award-winning filmmaker Richard Ladkani has been at work on a pair of films, among them the current Oscar-contending Yanuni, about a woman Indigenous leader who is fighting to save the Brazilian Amazon at great personal risk.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
13 Oct. 2025
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Defensively, the Bills are not good enough to truly contend for a Super Bowl — at least not yet.—
Gabe Smallson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Game 4 was high-intensity from the jump with Cristopher Sanchez and Tyler Glasnow going head-to-head in a pitchers' duel.—
Valentina Martinez,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
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The hope is more of a fiery attitude could lead to more duels won.—
Joshua Kloke,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
Verb
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The timing of the deal comes as Big Tech firms race to secure scarce land, power, and compute capacity—the foundational resources underpinning the AI race.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
15 Oct. 2025
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My heart was racing, but not with excitement.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
15 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Once on campus, he’s drawn into the intense world of Black Greek life, where rival fraternities battle through stepping competitions that blend rhythm, tradition, and pride.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
16 Oct. 2025
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Of their 16 meetings in all competitions between August 2004 and August 2007, 10 featured one goal or fewer.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
16 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Boyles eventually swatted the camera from his face, leading to a physical confrontation.—
Peter D'Abrosca,
FOXNews.com,
18 Oct. 2025
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But a lot was riding on the success of Back to the Future for Fox, who was caught in the middle of the tense confrontation.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
18 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Face-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/face-off. Accessed 20 Oct. 2025.
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