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
  • SpaceX competes with Anthropic and OpenAI in the AI market, though Grok trails far behind models from top rivals.
    — Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Out of sub-Saharan Africa, Cameroonian director Auguste Bernard Kouemo competes with House of the Wind, which debuted in the Venice Film Festival’s Orizzonti sidebar winning its Special Jury Prize and the Lion of the Future for a Debut Film.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of competes
Verb
  • The White House contends that the new proposal would give banks more flexibility under the law and drive greater economic development.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026
  • On the other hand, the fossil fuel industry contends the legislation would prevent states and environmental groups from weaponizing courts to stop projects for reasons beyond what is written in federal statutes.
    — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 11 Oct. 2026
Definition of contends
Verb
  • These days, the market is awash in retailers and consumer plays that are leaking market cap as every investment dollar races out into the AI trade.
    — Josh Brown,Sean Russo, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
  • The Supra is one of the vehicles most closely associated with Walker’s Fast & Furious character, Brian O’Conner, who builds and races a bright orange version of the A80 in the first installment of the popular movie franchise.
    — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 10 Sep. 2026
Definition of races

Browse Nearby Words

faces
faces off
faces up (to)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Faces off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faces%20off. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

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