as in competing
to engage in a contest
eager to face off with her longtime tennis rival
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of facing off
Lewis Tan led the 2021 film as Cole Young, an MMA fighter facing off against Outworld enemies in a high-stakes battle for the universe.
—
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2025
The Mariners begin their bid to reach a first ever World Series on Sunday, facing off against the Toronto Blue Jays in Canada.
—Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
On season 28, Sophie joined Alex Guarnaschelli in facing off against her father and actually beat him.
—Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Head coach Aaron Glenn and his team have a chance to notch their first victory of the season against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, facing off in an international matchup at London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
—Matt Audilet, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
The weekend marks a major milestone for the NBA, as years of rebuilding its relationship with its second-largest market culminate with the Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets facing off in the Venetian Arena here.
—Jessica Golden, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2025
Second Dinner recently ran two Video Quests on Mobile featuring fan favorites Venom, Thor, and Spider-Man facing off in a superhero battle.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 2 Oct. 2025
This is when fans can submit ticket applications for individual group-stage matches (the tournament’s opening round that features groups of teams facing off round robin–style before the teams with the best records advance into the single-elimination knockout-round bracket).
—Meredith Heil Bock, AFAR Media, 25 Sep. 2025
The show is facing off against Andor, The Diplomat, The Last of Us, Paradise, The Pitt, Slow Horses, and The White Lotus in the Outstanding Drama Series category.
—Rebecca Detken, EW.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Matt Grobar, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2025
The Mariners begin their bid to reach a first ever World Series on Sunday, facing off against the Toronto Blue Jays in Canada.
—Jamie Barton, CNN Money, 11 Oct. 2025
On season 28, Sophie joined Alex Guarnaschelli in facing off against her father and actually beat him.
—Sabrina Weiss, PEOPLE, 10 Oct. 2025
Head coach Aaron Glenn and his team have a chance to notch their first victory of the season against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, facing off in an international matchup at London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
—Matt Audilet, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Oct. 2025
The weekend marks a major milestone for the NBA, as years of rebuilding its relationship with its second-largest market culminate with the Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets facing off in the Venetian Arena here.
—Jessica Golden, CNBC, 10 Oct. 2025
Second Dinner recently ran two Video Quests on Mobile featuring fan favorites Venom, Thor, and Spider-Man facing off in a superhero battle.
—Jennifer Maas, Variety, 2 Oct. 2025
This is when fans can submit ticket applications for individual group-stage matches (the tournament’s opening round that features groups of teams facing off round robin–style before the teams with the best records advance into the single-elimination knockout-round bracket).
—Meredith Heil Bock, AFAR Media, 25 Sep. 2025
The show is facing off against Andor, The Diplomat, The Last of Us, Paradise, The Pitt, Slow Horses, and The White Lotus in the Outstanding Drama Series category.
—Rebecca Detken, EW.com, 12 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for facing off
Verb
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The senator did not respond to a request for comment about the competing legislation put forth by his fellow Democrats.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
7 Oct. 2025
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If the animals are not competing in shows, they are sold for meat.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Antetokounmpo and the Bucks need to see if this group has any chance of contending in the East, with the mood sure to change depending on the answer to that question.—
Sam Amick,
New York Times,
10 Oct. 2025
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Javice’s lawyers asked the judge on Monday to reconsider his order, contending that JPMorgan wasn’t entitled to recover defense legal costs.—
Sydney Lake,
Fortune,
7 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Facing off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/facing%20off. Accessed 13 Oct. 2025.
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