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
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
Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for face-offs
Noun
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Few crosstown rivalries can compare to the one Hingham and Notre Dame Academy have developed the past few decades.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
8 Nov. 2025
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The history of contemporary music is littered with hundreds of rivalries both amicable and otherwise.—
Jason Newman,
Rolling Stone,
7 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The facility, which is surrounded by the Everglades and Big Cypress National Preserve, also has led to separate legal battles in federal court.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
6 Jan. 2026
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Soon the scene devolved into individual battles between officers and rioters.—
Jamie Thompson,
The Atlantic,
6 Jan. 2026
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
Noun
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After more confrontations, she was briefly detained by police.—
Brady Knox,
The Washington Examiner,
7 Jan. 2026
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Television news has always had a different approach to investigative work, attempting to engineer dramatic confrontations between the person or institution under scrutiny and the intrepid reporter.—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
6 Jan. 2026
Noun
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While he was banned from major competitions, Gorst traveled around the US playing smaller regional events that didn’t fall under pool’s international governing rules.—
Jeremy Herb,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
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The three-day event features million-dollar rodeo competitions each evening before the concerts.—
Ed Masley,
AZCentral.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Noun
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But behind closed doors, the then-couple were facing marital struggles, as Betty claimed in her 2015 memoir, Telling On Myself.—
Jordana Comiter,
PEOPLE,
9 Nov. 2025
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The struggles of being a parent and the struggles of your child are so understandably private.—
Rosemary Rossi,
Variety,
9 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The Democratic Party is currently reevaluating its calendar for when those early contests will occur, but Hackett said Democrats hoping to run are still covering their bases.—
Oren Oppenheim,
ABC News,
6 Nov. 2025
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Gorst came back in both contests, including a late-night quarterfinal against Michael Baoanan, a player from the Philippines who was backed by a sizable cheering section that created a rowdier atmosphere.—
Jeremy Herb,
CNN Money,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
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The township is arguing that state law regarding government employee protections against lawsuits conflicts with federal court rulings.—
Laura A. Bischoff,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Jan. 2026
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Similar false or misleading content has circulated during the Israeli-Palestine and Russia-Ukraine conflicts.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
6 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Face-offs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/face-offs. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.
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