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
Tom Carothers, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2026
Not ideal optics for this close to face-off.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 4 Feb. 2026
Hannah Ryan, CNN Money, 14 Feb. 2026
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is seeking a fifth term in office and is facing off against longtime Chicago Ald.
—CBS News, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Noun
Minnesota put 29 shots on Ohio State goaltender Sam Hillebrandt, but came up empty except for Lamb’s wrister from inside the face-off circle.
—Tom Carothers, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2026
Not ideal optics for this close to face-off.
—Sean Gregory, Time, 4 Feb. 2026
Verb
Julie Chu and Caroline Ouellette captained the US and Canada, respectively, and faced off against each other in two Olympic finals.
—Hannah Ryan, CNN Money, 14 Feb. 2026
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is seeking a fifth term in office and is facing off against longtime Chicago Ald.
—CBS News, 14 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for face-off
Noun
-
While Finland and Sweden may not have enjoyed quite the same level of Olympic success in women’s hockey as the US and Canada, the rivalry between the two Nordic countries is nonetheless a fiery one.—
Hannah Ryan,
CNN Money,
14 Feb. 2026
-
The epic race between Stolz and de Boo is the latest in their budding rivalry.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Then a week later, Heraskevych received a wave of sympathetic support when he was forced out of the skeleton for refusing to compete without a helmet adorned with more than 20 elite Ukrainian athletes and coaches who have been killed in the war.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Nearly 2,900 athletes from more than 90 national Olympic committees are competing at the Winter Games across 116 medal events across eight sports.—
Lee Ying Shan,Sydney Goh,
CNBC,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Britain had split the Chagos Islands from Mauritius before that colony gained independence, something that has been a source of diplomatic friction as well as multiple legal battles with locals who were evicted.—
Brad Lendon,
CNN Money,
20 Feb. 2026
-
Arsenal is challenging for the titl while Tottenham — under new coach Igor Tudor — is in danger of being dragged into a relegation battle.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The longtime Republican sheriff of Frederick County contends the termination of a cooperative agreement with ICE will force him to let some people out of jail who may later commit more crimes.—
David A. Lieb,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
-
His lawyers have contended ICE racially profiled him.—
Jim Mustian,
Twin Cities,
18 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
In a duel of the top two teams in the West Coast Conference standings, Gonzaga (25-2, 13-1 WCC) spoiled the Broncos’ best start to a season since 1969-70.—
Jeff Faraudo,
Mercury News,
15 Feb. 2026
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Edgecombe hit three 3-pointers during his scoring barrage in the first semifinal to win his duel with Charlotte’s Kon Knueppel, who scored just four points.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Truthfully, racing in the rain was entertaining.—
Doug Turnbull,
AJC.com,
15 Feb. 2026
-
Whether that’s going to see a show, tossing some axes, cuddling with some cats at a café or racing down the slopes, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.—
Heather Zidack,
Hartford Courant,
15 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
For the first time in four Winter Games, a Russian woman did not win gold in the singles competition.—
Bora Erden,
New York Times,
20 Feb. 2026
-
The global theatrical business has recovered faster, post-COVID, than the domestic market, and in most major international territories, there is still healthy competition, with multiple large and mid-sized buyers able to bid on buzz titles.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Many local police departments began to rethink their approach to the weapons following violent confrontations with protesters over the 2020 police killing of George Floyd.—
Natasha Korecki,
NBC news,
14 Feb. 2026
-
What was once a forum for engaged — sometimes heated — debate has, critics argue, become a stage for viral confrontation.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
14 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Face-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/face-off. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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