Thesaurus results for FACES OFF

faces off

verb

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

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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 faces off Democrats find themselves in a similar situation this year, as a young up-and-comer faces off against a GOP opponent widely seen as vulnerable. — Eleanor Dearman updated August 29, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2026 As Crown, Jordan faces off against a former FBI agent (Adria Arjona) hunting him heist by heist. — Mya Copeland, Variety, 29 July 2026 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 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

Amongst the crowd was Lee Brockhouse, 48, who also competes in amateur strongman events with a personal best of 455kg in the deadlift.

— Rob Tanner, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
The 2026 Honda Pilot competes against rivals like the Toyota Grand Highlander and Kia Telluride.

— Charles Singh, USA Today, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of competes

Verb

Attorney Barry Pollack contends that Maduro remained Venezuela’s head of state regardless of whether the United States considered his presidency legitimate.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 3 Sep. 2026
Beyond senior leadership changes, Jung contends that Phillips should position itself as a cultural club rather than just a salesroom to keep momentum and not to always rely on internal star players.

— Hikmat Mohammed, ARTnews.com, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of contends

Verb

In its breathless finale, Curry races through the mansion reconstructing every murder, flinging himself through doors and corridors while maintaining the verbal precision of a stage actor performing at double speed.

— Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
Finn Gomez / Getty Images Kirkwood, who races for Andretti Global, started second but took the lead on the opening lap with a daring maneuver around the outside of pole-sitter and championship leader Alex Palou in front of the National Archives.

— Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 23 Aug. 2026

Definition of races

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faces

faces off

faces up (to)

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“Faces off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faces%20off. Accessed 15 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of faces off

verb

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