as in head-to-head
in direct confrontation or competition
the underdog team met its more talented opponent head-on and won the hockey game through sheer grit
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of head-on
The driver of a northbound vehicle veered into the southbound lanes, hitting one car head-on and causing a chain-reaction crash, authorities said.
—
Amy McDaniel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
The Honda crashed head-on into the guardrail separating the west and east lanes, then bounced back into the path of the trooper’s cruiser.
—Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 13 Feb. 2026
Instead, in October 2022, Lim was killed by a drunk driver who struck their car head-on.
—Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
The barge struck the sailboat head-on, causing it to tip and capsize, the lawsuit alleges.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for head-on
Amy McDaniel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026
The Honda crashed head-on into the guardrail separating the west and east lanes, then bounced back into the path of the trooper’s cruiser.
—Mark Pazniokas, Hartford Courant, 13 Feb. 2026
Instead, in October 2022, Lim was killed by a drunk driver who struck their car head-on.
—Maddie Connors, Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2026
The barge struck the sailboat head-on, causing it to tip and capsize, the lawsuit alleges.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for head-on
Recent Examples of Synonyms for head-on
Adverb
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Embracing those expectations rather than fighting them, Kok extended her two-year-plus unbeaten streak at her sport’s shortest distance Sunday, adding a gold medal and the Olympic record to her world mark, beating Jackson head-to-head in the final heat and relegating Leerdam to the silver.—
Howard Fendrich,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
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Based on the committee’s projections, the Huskies could go head-to-head with Ralph’s squad in the Final Four.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
15 Feb. 2026
Adverb
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Keeping the camera still in a courthouse’s small, windowless chambers, Depardon depicts these face-to-face showdowns as litanies of misery, as the officials make suspects confront the grim circumstances leading to their arrests.—
Sheldon Pearce,
New Yorker,
20 Feb. 2026
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The idea of normalizing relations with Israel is wildly unpopular among Arabs — 8 in 10 consider Palestine a collective Arab cause — according to the annual survey by the Arab Center in Doha, which involved 40,000 face-to-face interviews across the region.—
Kelsey Warner,
semafor.com,
20 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Head-on.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/head-on. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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