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
Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
Sean Durzi set up the goal with a cross-ice pass, and Guenther scored on a slap shot from down on one knee, beating Dostal over the blocker from the left face-off dot.
—Oc Register, 21 Mar. 2026
Fritz Hahn, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2026
Muffet McGraw’s Notre Dame became UConn’s new foil in the 2010s, and the programs faced off seven times in the Final Four or national title game from 2011-19.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Noun
On Tuesday morning, billionaire Tom Steyer — a Democrat — proposed holding an alternative face-off, with KNBC moderating.
—Seema Mehta, Los Angeles Times, 25 Mar. 2026
Sean Durzi set up the goal with a cross-ice pass, and Guenther scored on a slap shot from down on one knee, beating Dostal over the blocker from the left face-off dot.
—Oc Register, 21 Mar. 2026
Verb
The teams maintain a friendly rivalry, facing off in exhibition games as well as home-and-away series during the regular season.
—Fritz Hahn, Washington Post, 3 Apr. 2026
Muffet McGraw’s Notre Dame became UConn’s new foil in the 2010s, and the programs faced off seven times in the Final Four or national title game from 2011-19.
—Emily Adams, Hartford Courant, 2 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for face-off
Noun
-
Dawn Staley and Geno Auriemma’s coaching rivalry has had something for everyone on and off the court.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
4 Apr. 2026
-
But there were also rivalries — and who got to control a bigger share of the work was hotly contested.—
Fatma Tanis,
NPR,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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This was, according to the charter, arguably the moment when OpenAI might stop competing with other companies and start working with them.—
Ronan Farrow,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
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Just go out there tomorrow and try to compete.—
Andrew Baggarly,
New York Times,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The Battle of Kings Mountain, where the Patriots won a 1780 battle just west of Charlotte, and a recreation of British loyalist leader Maj.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
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In a battle for first place in the Pacific Coast League, Patel drove in five runs and scored a run to lead Irvine to an 8-2 victory over Portola.—
Martin Henderson,
Oc Register,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Taunton will be defensively strong and leans on its captains – Joey Benoit (Brown), Corbin Melo (LF), Jeremy Knief and Dylan Keenun (SS) – to help a mostly new group of starters contend.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
7 Apr. 2026
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Whether that amounts to genuine policy momentum or, as critics contend, an elaborate exercise in reputation management may be the defining question of the political economy of the AI age.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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The Rangers loss extends their losing streak to four games after a pitching duel between Jack Leiter and Chase Burns.—
Lawrence Dow,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The duel on the mound was so-so.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The paying public went from raucous to delirious on the next possession, when Curry raced downcourt and splashed a triple off the dribble.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Leonard scored 13 points in the first quarter as the Clippers raced out to a double-digit lead and coasted against a Kings team that is playing out the string of a lost season.—
Oc Register,
Oc Register,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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But neither is an experienced starter so general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan and coach Jeff Hafley will almost certainly seek training camp competition for each role.—
Chris Perkins,
Sun Sentinel,
9 Apr. 2026
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The drama was announced as having been selected for Cannes’ main competition at the festival’s traditional press conference in Paris on Thursday.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
9 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Police have not released a motive for the attack or additional details about what sparked the confrontation at the gym.—
Stephen Sorace,
FOXNews.com,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The confrontation, which led to multiple 911 calls reporting a fight involving a firearm, resulted in the arrest of Ahmad Zeeshan.—
Nikiya Carrero,
CBS News,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Face-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/face-off. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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