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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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
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
-
The narrative tracks Maurício (Reymond), a retired player striving to establish a new career as an agent in the aggressive football business while managing industry rivalries, family tensions, and the legacy of his past disappointments.—
Max Goldbart,
Deadline,
4 June 2026
-
The diary was still treated primarily as evidence of motive, evidence about the boys, their rivalries, their jealousy, their emotional states.—
Kate Casey,
Vanity Fair,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
Staal’s still elite at winning defensive zone puck battles, which helps tee up Ehlers to play to his strengths and gives the Canes an all-three-zone impact in their minutes that has added up to a 66 percent xG rate.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
-
Calvert shares similar views and has survived an ethics complaint and two previous redistricting battles during his 33 years in Congress.—
Terry Collins,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
Strength in duels – ground and aerial.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
-
LaBonta completed 23 of 29 passes from the middle of the park, put in four tackles, made two interceptions and two ball recoveries, and won five of her eight duels with players, all while avoiding committing a single foul.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
27 May 2026
Noun
-
Multiple reports had been filed against Chow after other confrontations with customers, officials previously said.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
2 June 2026
-
The confrontations result in wild, libidinous killing.—
Doreen St. Félix,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Noun
-
Pressure is a privilege and, in our case, the players took those competitions seriously.—
Zach McMahon,
Boston Herald,
29 May 2026
-
The 23-year-old has performed when called upon in the cup competitions and was expected, before Donnarumma’s sudden arrival, to compete to be a starting Premier League goalkeeper.—
Cerys Jones,
New York Times,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
Ohtani was back to a full starter’s workload for the first time since 2023, even mentioning fatigue in his postgame interview after his second start of the season, and before games was working to address his offensive struggles.—
Maddie Lee,
Los Angeles Times,
4 June 2026
-
Wembanyama finished with 26 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks in the loss but downplayed any worries about the team’s struggles after the game.—
Jacob Lev,
CNN Money,
4 June 2026
Noun
-
While much of the attention heading into Tuesday’s election has focused on the Los Angeles mayoral race, voters will also decide several lower-profile but influential city contests that could decide how City Hall handles legal matters, financial oversight and public spending.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
29 May 2026
-
Three of seven Board of Education seats are on the ballot Tuesday in comparatively low-spending contests with incumbents as overwhelming favorites.—
Howard Blume,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Noun
-
The chain of islands has become critical to Japan’s defense in the event of armed conflicts between China and Taiwan.—
Wayne Chang,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
-
During a Metropolitan Public Transportation Authority meeting in March, that officer, Eric Osnes, said his team now studies footage of assaults on drivers to learn lessons that may mitigate future conflicts.—
Caitlin McGlade,
Charlotte Observer,
2 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Face-offs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/face-offs. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
