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 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
  1. competes
  2. contends
  3. races
Verb
  • The egregious noise of the two birds competes with that of the white bellbird, which was found in 2019 to screech at volumes of up to 125 decibels and was crowned by Guinness World Records as having the loudest bird call.
    — Amarachi Orie, CNN Money, 29 Sep. 2026
  • Murray also competes in track and field as a sprinter and long jumper, mainly as a means to help his football game.
    — Michael Osipoff, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of competes
Verb
  • The piece contends that the threat warrants advance legal planning rather than reliance on improvised responses after a disruption occurs.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2026
  • Faxon contends that the documents were necessary to argue against the state’s effort to dismiss the claim.
    — Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of contends
Verb
  • 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
  • Europe races to scale The political tensions come as Europe’s commercial space industry is gathering momentum.
    — Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 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 3 Oct. 2026.

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