faces off

Definition of faces offnext
present tense third-person singular of face off
as in competes
to engage in a contest eager to face off with her longtime tennis rival

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 faces off With Kean running unopposed in the June 2 Republican primary, whichever Democrat faces off against him in November will almost certainly shape their campaign around his disappearance. Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 23 May 2026 The singer faces off with Priestly just before an Italian fashion show performance. Nigel Smith, PEOPLE, 2 May 2026 Jordan's character, a billionaire, faces off against a former FBI agent (played by Adria Arjona). Saba Hamedy, NBC news, 17 Apr. 2026 These people have already drunk their faces off. Brian Moylan, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026 Pattinson can be heard as the announcer during the British Open semifinals scene toward the beginning of the A24 film, before Chalamet’s Marty Mauser faces off against Hungarian champion Bela Kletzki (Géza Röhrig). Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 13 Jan. 2026 Every three years, the division faces off against a division from the NFC. Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Jan. 2026 Christopher plays Anatoly Sergievsky, a Soviet chess champion who faces off against an American (Aaron Tveit), with a woman caught between them (Lea Michele). Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025 Before Alabama faces off against the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday, Saban offered a word of warning to head coach Kalen DeBoer and his Crimson Tide. Andrew McCarty, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faces off
Verb
  • The women’s squad competes in the amateur Women’s Premier Soccer League.
    PJ Green May 30, Kansas City Star, 30 May 2026
  • Rest competes with duties as the moody Moon moves through your 12th House of Solitude, opposite inventive Uranus in your 6th House of Work and Well-being.
    Tarot.com, New York Daily News, 30 May 2026
Verb
  • As robots grow more capable and AI more sophisticated, a growing chorus of researchers contends that machines can go further, do more, and take on greater risk – all at a fraction of the cost of keeping a human alive in orbit.
    Omar Kardoudi May 29, New Atlas, 29 May 2026
  • Vena contends the merger would create a stronger alternative to long-haul trucking, removing more than 2 million truckloads from roads annually.
    Jordan Blum, Fortune, 29 May 2026
Verb
  • What Wolff came back with was the idea to take F1 Academy from a standalone series to one that races alongside F1.
    Danielle McNally, InStyle, 28 May 2026
  • Big money continues to flow into four San Diego City Council races one week before the June 2 primary, including a major push by labor unions against independent Richard Bailey in District 2.
    David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 May 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Faces off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faces%20off. Accessed 3 Jun. 2026.

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