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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of face-off
Gerrad Hall, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
For Cuomo the stakes of the face-off were especially high.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025
Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
When Mercury and Uranus retrograde face off across the sky, the result is purely cerebral and quite electric.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Noun
Roberts' costar Ayo Edebiri talks about their intense face-off.
—Gerrad Hall, Entertainment Weekly, 18 Oct. 2025
For Cuomo the stakes of the face-off were especially high.
—Dave Smith, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2025
Verb
Two childhood friends now must face off from opposite sides – Sam, the daughter of a poor single mother scraping toward a better life in Grand Central, and Ari, a Lumines prodigy.
—Clare Mulroy, USA Today, 31 Oct. 2025
When Mercury and Uranus retrograde face off across the sky, the result is purely cerebral and quite electric.
—Valerie Mesa, PEOPLE, 29 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for face-off
Noun
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Elizabeth’s determination not to settle the succession gave rise to fierce rivalry between the claimants to the English throne, among them Mary, Queen of Scots and her son James VI; James’s cousin Arbella Stuart; Lady Katherine Grey and her descendants; and Henry Hastings, Earl of Huntingdon.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 Nov. 2025
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Spurs were inept and disjointed on Saturday, losing 1-0 against Chelsea in a rivalry the club don’t tolerate losing easily.—
Phil Hay,
New York Times,
3 Nov. 2025
Verb
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Smith, who double majored in statistics and computer science, previously competed on the women’s swimming and diving team.—
Joshua Rhett Miller,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 Oct. 2025
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The last American to compete in the pinnacle of motorsport was Logan Sargeant, who raced for Williams for nearly two years before the team replaced him.—
Madeline Coleman,
New York Times,
25 Oct. 2025
Noun
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History buffs should head to Saratoga National Historic Park, which was the site of two pivotal Revolutionary War battles.—
Cat Sposato,
Travel + Leisure,
4 Nov. 2025
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What began as a grassroots open-records request has now branched into a multifront legal battle.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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In a lawsuit filed in the Business Court of Texas, the Mavericks contend they should be recognized as the sole owner of Center Operating Company because of an alleged breach by the Stars.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
3 Nov. 2025
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That will be followed by Study 02 next year featuring different hardware using stainless steel with 18-karat gold plating sourced from China, where Canadas contended hardware technology surpasses European alternatives.—
Ritu Upadhyay,
Footwear News,
3 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The return from injury of Gravenberch, who won six of his eight duels, was another welcome sight, along with Alexis Mac Allister completing 90 minutes for Liverpool for the first time since April.—
James Pearce,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
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Much like the classic Tom Brady-Peyton Manning duels of old, the quarterback matchup between Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen — the two current MVP frontrunners — is can’t-miss television.—
Pete Sweeney,
Kansas City Star,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Like me — a reluctant movie guy who never liked racing, and now somehow has three racecars.—
Chris Cardillo,
Rolling Stone,
5 Nov. 2025
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Toyota already has a rich history racing those events in truck/car classes, so why not stamp its name on a separate page of the books?—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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Starbucks has also come under intense competition from the surging popularity of tea drinks chains like Mixue Bingcheng, ChaGee and HeyTea.—
John Liu,
CNN Money,
5 Nov. 2025
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Several banks lowered their price targets following the earnings report, pointing to increasing competition from larger social platforms like Instagram and TikTok and concerns over macro headwinds.—
Jaures Yip,
CNBC,
5 Nov. 2025
Noun
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However, the saga unearths new layers in the second season as Natalia shares her harrowing experiences with her adoptive parents and has a face-to-face confrontation with Michael.—
James Mercadante,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
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No one was injured during the confrontation, police said.—
Shannon Tyler,
Idaho Statesman,
25 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Face-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/face-off. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.
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