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 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 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for face-offs

Noun

At a time when the news cycle seems to serve up nothing but conflict, crisis and woe, the World Cup offers shelter, a truly international event in which conflict is defined by long-term sports rivalries and questionable referee decisions.

— Culture Critic, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2026
The Golden State Warriors are reportedly looking to pair James with Stephen Curry, which would turn one of the NBA's greatest rivalries into two of the game's greatest stars fighting for their fifth title together.

— Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 30 June 2026

Definition of rivalries

Noun

By the time Apple wins its lawsuit against OpenAI, the decisive battles in the war might already be over.

— Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 11 July 2026
Against Brazil, Solbakken’s side worked hard to leave their physically intimidating centre-forwards in one-on-one battles for long passes in behind.

— Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 11 July 2026

Definition of battles

Noun

As with many Latin American and African teams, Paraguay defend deep and are extremely physical in duels and aerial battles.

— Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 3 July 2026
On Wednesday, Tillman won nine duels — the most of anyone who played on either side — and had five dangerous interceptions, a metric used in soccer that accounts for stopping an attack.

— Darren Sabedra, Mercury News, 2 July 2026

Definition of duels

Noun

Corona Centennial, which doesn’t usually perform well in passing competitions (the Huskies like to let their running game set up the pass), started the morning 4-0 and didn’t lose until its final game.

— Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 12 July 2026
For many teams, however, time was limited by players arriving late from club competitions, creating a delicate balance between adapting sufficiently while still reaching the tournament physically and mentally fresh.

— Alan McCall, New York Times, 11 July 2026

Definition of competitions

Noun

Through speeches, chants and signs, demonstrators drew a line between the struggles local facility employees face and those carried by farmworkers in the Philippines.

— Sierra Lopez, Mercury News, 9 July 2026
DeGrom suffered first-inning struggles before settling in, his pattern this season.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026

Definition of struggles

Noun

Unlike basketball or baseball, pro football is far from the point where regular-season contests become meaningless, but that hasn’t stopped its fans from debating whether the NFL is sapping some of the magic that comes from football’s scarcity.

— Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026
Besides the contests for governor, Congress and 12 legislative seats, there are two local races for probate judge in Manchester and Bridgeport.

— Christopher Keating, Hartford Courant, 9 July 2026

Definition of contests

Noun

Small commercial and military drones have become increasingly common in recent conflicts, performing reconnaissance, surveillance, and precision attack missions.

— Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 8 July 2026
Painful conflicts with family over Israel are common The survey finds that rifts are springing up within families and communities over Israel, even among religiously unaffiliated Jews.

— David Crary, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 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 12 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of face-offs

noun

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