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
Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 28 Feb. 2026
From Heated Rivalry to a heated face-off!
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Feb. 2026
Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2026
Two shots of that trio, Trinity Rodman and Sophia Wilson, will face off against each other Friday in the season opener when the Washington Spirit hosts the Portland Thorns.
—Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Noun
Expect a court face-off that will shape the landscape of Hollywood for years to come.
—Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 28 Feb. 2026
From Heated Rivalry to a heated face-off!
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Feb. 2026
Verb
The Heat and Magic face off in Miami in an important game with postseason seeding implications on Saturday.
—Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2026
Two shots of that trio, Trinity Rodman and Sophia Wilson, will face off against each other Friday in the season opener when the Washington Spirit hosts the Portland Thorns.
—Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for face-off
Noun
-
Baseball’s richest rivalry still draws national fascination.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
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Despite long-standing rivalries among senior Iranian politicians — many of whom hold powerful political positions and control significant economic resources — these factions quickly set aside their differences and pledged loyalty to him.—
Pegah Banihashemi,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Functional and technology-driven apparel brands will appear alongside labels exploring contemporary interpretations of Chinese cultural aesthetics, illustrating how domestic brands are carving out specialized categories rather than competing for the same consumer.—
Yiling Pan,
Vogue,
16 Mar. 2026
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New Oklahoma athletic director Roger Denny offered his support to coach Porter Moser and promised to give him more resources to compete.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
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The war inside The game was ultimately decided by the battle inside the paint as TCU’s frontline of Punch and junior center Xavier Edmonds scrapped and clawed with Kansas’ talented big men Flory Bidunga and Bryson Tiller.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
13 Mar. 2026
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He was involved in multiple relegation battles and believes having the right mindset is key.—
Jay Harris,
New York Times,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The company’s legal defense contended that the claims in the lawsuit lack merit and pledged to vigorously defend against them in court.—
Business Columnist,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Mar. 2026
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Habermas and other opponents contended that the conservative historians were trying to lessen the magnitude of Nazi crimes through such comparisons.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Mar. 2026
Noun
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This title game featured a duel of All-SEC guards in Vanderbilt’s Tyler Tanner defending Acuff, the SEC player and freshman of the year.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Mar. 2026
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The writing sessions often turned into something of a creative duel.—
Elsa Keslassy,
Variety,
13 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Not all fans were racing aficionados.—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
16 Mar. 2026
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But Cockrum raced down the court for a layup, barely beating the buzzer to cut the lead to 19-16 entering the final quarter.—
Patrick Saunders,
Denver Post,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
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That is to say that the way the current system is set up distorts the healthcare economy in ways that don’t allow for much price competition, with ever-rising insurance premiums as the result.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
13 Mar. 2026
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Several regional nations have recently become key targets in a great power competition between the US and China for greater control of the continent’s resources.—
Jeronimo Gonzalez,
semafor.com,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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During the confrontation, one of the men fired the gun, and a bullet grazed a man in the leg.—
Kristi Miller,
Twin Cities,
16 Mar. 2026
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Nobody wants a prolonged confrontation.—
Jack Fink,
CBS News,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Face-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/face-off. Accessed 19 Mar. 2026.
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