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 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
  • Codex competes directly with Anthropic's Claude Code, which has seen a wave of adoption over the last year.
    Ashley Capoot,Kate Rooney, CNBC, 9 Feb. 2026
  • Abby Winterberger competes in the halfpipe finals at Aspen in January.
    Andrew Greif, NBC news, 9 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • While the complaint was pending, Myer allegedly contacted Norwalk police and told them Gabriele was misusing a license plate again, the lawsuit contends.
    Justin Muszynski, Hartford Courant, 6 Feb. 2026
  • The lawsuit contends that the city’s response amounted to ratification of discriminatory conduct inside the office tasked with enforcing civil rights protections.
    Chaya Tong, Austin American Statesman, 3 Feb. 2026
Verb
  • Annabelle Gordon | Reuters House and Senate Democrats on Wednesday laid out their demands for immigration enforcement reform as Congress races to avoid a shutdown at the Department of Homeland Security.
    Garrett Downs, CNBC, 4 Feb. 2026
  • When a quark races through plasma, an anti-quark should exist, travelling at precisely the same speed but in the opposite direction.
    Robert Lea, Space.com, 30 Jan. 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 13 Feb. 2026.

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