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

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 The winner of the ALCS goes onto the 2026 World Series and faces off against the winner of the NLCS, either the Los Angeles Dodgers or the Milwaukee Brewers. — Rudie Obias, HollywoodReporter, 12 Oct. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faces off
  1. competes
  2. contends
  3. races
Verb
  • Sports rights are key as Netflix competes for subscribers and advertising with rivals from DAZN to Amazon, Apple and YouTube.
    — Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 19 Oct. 2026
  • When Patagonia's founder moved the company into a purpose trust in 2022, such extraction became impossible by design; Bosch has been majority-owned by a foundation for decades and competes ferociously.
    — Christopher Marquis, Time, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of competes
Verb
  • Some of the roughly 18 locations were chosen, Hale contends, because the city failed to respond to numerous 311 calls for improvement.
    — Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
  • But Uthmeier contends an overly broad reading of the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause has been twisted into a tool to suppress Christians and other believers.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of contends
Verb
  • Even as China races the United States for AI supremacy, Reuters has reported that China’s Moonshot AI is in talks with Amazon, Microsoft, and Alphabet for a share of the revenue those companies earn from hosting its Kimi K3 model.
    — NIALL FERGUSON, Foreign Affairs, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The high pressure air in the Great Basin races downhill to the coast.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of races

Browse Nearby Words

faces
faces off
faces up (to)
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Cite this Entry

“Faces off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faces%20off. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

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