as in rivalries
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-offs
Much of the credit goes to the defense and to Andrew Golden, a junior who handles face-offs.
—
Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026
The plan is for the star forward to take face-offs again.
—Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
The film’s centerpieces are the face-offs between Plemons’ Teddy and Stone’s CEO.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 11 Feb. 2026
Turcotte has been an efficient point producer relative to his ice time, boasts strong two-way metrics, and has won nearly 56 percent of his face-offs this year.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
The film keeps pace through toe-curlingly tense table tennis face-offs, high-stakes hustles, and a jaw-dropping scene involving a bathtub that honestly puts Saltburn to shame.
—Anastasia Sanger, Glamour, 22 Dec. 2025
Several of these races have attracted attention beyond their city limits, for interesting face-offs or for their potential to signal where some states and districts could be leaning as next year's midterm elections draw closer.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026
The plan is for the star forward to take face-offs again.
—Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
The film’s centerpieces are the face-offs between Plemons’ Teddy and Stone’s CEO.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 11 Feb. 2026
Turcotte has been an efficient point producer relative to his ice time, boasts strong two-way metrics, and has won nearly 56 percent of his face-offs this year.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
The film keeps pace through toe-curlingly tense table tennis face-offs, high-stakes hustles, and a jaw-dropping scene involving a bathtub that honestly puts Saltburn to shame.
—Anastasia Sanger, Glamour, 22 Dec. 2025
Several of these races have attracted attention beyond their city limits, for interesting face-offs or for their potential to signal where some states and districts could be leaning as next year's midterm elections draw closer.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for face-offs
Noun
-
Some may fall victim to regional political rivalries and never materialize.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
22 Apr. 2026
-
And obviously there have been some really great rivalries.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
That means the knock-down, drag-out government shutdown battles that have become a Washington ritual are, in effect, a fight over a little more than a quarter of the federal ledger.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Marr's legal battles with State Farm started in 1999, when Marr says the insurer denied a claim that a friend filed for tornado damage.—
Michael Copley,
NPR,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
No Leeds player won more than his eight duels.—
Beren Cross,
New York Times,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Those duels couldn’t hold a candle to the Giants’ 3-1 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Tuesday night, a victory that served as Vitello’s first exposure to the historic rivalry in the regular season.—
Justice delos Santos,
Mercury News,
22 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The sharp debate in Union Park is only the latest in a series of thorny confrontations about how best to manage homelessness in the Central Florida region, where housing costs are high, shelter space is scarce, and residents are concerned about people living in public spaces.—
Ryan Gillespie,
The Orlando Sentinel,
26 Apr. 2026
-
The massive expansion of enforcement operations drew local resistance from activists, leading to clashes with federal agents and the deaths of residents Renee Good and Alex Pretti during confrontations with ICE and Border Patrol.—
Alex Derosier,
Twin Cities,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Might the physical toil of the other competitions play a part in the final destination of the league title?—
Mark Carey,
New York Times,
25 Apr. 2026
-
Once the films are finished, one filmmaker will be chosen to receive an additional $10,000 grant and invited to join the AGBO Storytellers Collective, an alumni network of emerging filmmakers who have won AGBO fellowships or competitions.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Jokic contributed mightily to those struggles, going 7 for 26 from the floor as Gobert again won that individual matchup.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
24 Apr. 2026
-
This year that quarterback-in-waiting is Alabama’s Ty Simpson, a talented and smart player whose evaluation is complicated by injury struggles, as well as a lack of starting experience and consistency.—
Andrew Greif,
NBC news,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Then the club lost its first match, 2-1 in Portland, on the way to dropping eight points in the past three league contests, each against conference opponents.—
Josh Gross,
Daily News,
24 Apr. 2026
-
Teams such as the Indiana Fever and Minnesota Lynx are holding three exhibition contests before their season opener.—
Nathan Canilao,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Since one of the metaphorical aspects of the script concerns how swiftly conflicts can flare up from small disagreements into major knock-down-drag-out fights, showing the violence and bared-teeth snarling is appropriate, a lighter touch could work, too.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Determined to rise to the occasion and work out every possible kink, Daisy sets out to resolve conflicts between the stews and in the galley.—
Rafaela Bassili,
Vulture,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Face-offs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/face-offs. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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