FACE-OFFS Synonyms: 41 Similar and Opposite Words

face-offs

noun

plural of face-off

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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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of face-offs For national tournaments, the corollary is how poorer countries always have to match up against richer ones for regional face-offs and qualifiers that culminate in the quadrennial dream that is the World Cup. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 20 July 2026 The game followed a championship series filled with down-to-the-wire face-offs won by edge-of-your-seat buzzer beaters. — Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 15 June 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

Week 1 is full of national showdowns and nonregion rivalries.

— Jack Leo, AJC.com, 21 Aug. 2026
However, in recent years bilateral ties have plunged, marred by frequent tit-for-tat trade tensions and growing geopolitical rivalries.

— Sylvie Zhuang, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of rivalries

Noun

Tanger centers are places where family and friends can gather, our green spaces play host to everything from yoga classes to food truck rallies to high school battles of the bands.

— Arthur Zaczkiewicz, Footwear News, 21 Aug. 2026
Once in Korea, O’Hara worked with the Korean stunt team to refine the choreography even further, making battles out of the small-scale struggle of opening a door, of how characters could make it to the glass break outside.

— Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of battles

Noun

McBurnie is something of a throwback; a physical target man who relishes gritty duels and aerial battles.

— Conor O'Neill, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
Cherry went 74 minutes in Sunday’s loss to Racing Louisville, recording four defensive clearances and winning three of her four aerial duels as Angel City lost for the first time in four games.

— Damian Calhoun, Daily News, 31 July 2026

Definition of duels

Noun

Now, parents are scrambling to find alternatives while wondering whether their children will be able to train in time for upcoming competitions.

— Verónica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2026
The Dutch health ministry’s scheme for international top-sport events funds one-off competitions rather than recurring ones annually, and caps awards at €3 million.

— Madeline Coleman, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026

Definition of competitions

Noun

Panettiere’s sudden death sent waves of grief from Hollywood to Ukraine, where the father of their child mourned the beloved actress and activist who battled a host of struggles.

— Holly Yan, CNN Money, 20 Aug. 2026
The movie's themes of addiction, redemption and spiritual transformation also prompted Sorbo to discuss his belief that some struggles can involve more than physical or psychological factors.

— Stephanie Giang-Paunon, FOXNews.com, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of struggles

Noun

An Emerson College survey testing potential 2028 contests found Ossoff ahead of both Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio in hypothetical general election matchups.

— Samantha-Jo Roth, The Washington Examiner, 22 Aug. 2026
But the practical race in 2026 is won by mastering both contests at once with absolute capability and radical efficiency, closed excellence and open diffusion, the biggest reliable compute and the smartest use of it.

— Mark Minevich, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of contests

Noun

That definition appears designed to keep participating firms focused on criminal enterprises and out of interstate conflicts.

— Jill Goldenziel, Forbes.com, 19 Aug. 2026
Most conflicts between humans and bears are traced back to human food, garbage, pet food, bird seed, or other things that attract bears.

— Jeanine Santucci, USA Today, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of conflicts

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face off

face-offs

faces

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“Face-offs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/face-offs. Accessed 24 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of face-offs

noun

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