as in toe-to-toe
in direct confrontation or competition
it's fitting that the two best teams during the regular season will go head-to-head for the championship
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of head-to-head
Southfield mayoral race Southfield's mayoral race will feature a head-to-head between incumbent Kenson Siver and former Councilwoman Sylvia Jordan.
—
Detroit Free Press, Freep.com, 3 Nov. 2025
The head-to-head contact looked to be accidental, and Michkov was given a two-minute minor for interference on the play.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
The Tigers are not mathematically eliminated from SEC title contention, but with six teams having one or zero conference losses (two of which have head-to-head tiebreakers over MU), their chances of getting to Atlanta are minute.
—Quentin Corpuel, Kansas City Star, 31 Oct. 2025
Toyota also unveiled its new flagship brand’s first concept, the Century Coupe, which is meant to go head-to-head with cars made by Bentley and Rolls-Royce.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for head-to-head
Detroit Free Press, Freep.com, 3 Nov. 2025
The head-to-head contact looked to be accidental, and Michkov was given a two-minute minor for interference on the play.
—Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
The Tigers are not mathematically eliminated from SEC title contention, but with six teams having one or zero conference losses (two of which have head-to-head tiebreakers over MU), their chances of getting to Atlanta are minute.
—Quentin Corpuel, Kansas City Star, 31 Oct. 2025
Toyota also unveiled its new flagship brand’s first concept, the Century Coupe, which is meant to go head-to-head with cars made by Bentley and Rolls-Royce.
—Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 30 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for head-to-head
Recent Examples of Synonyms for head-to-head
Adverb
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But while a Halloween marathon is a seasonal must, trying to figure out how to watch all 13 films can feel as daunting as coming face-to-face with the Shape himself.—
Chris Snellgrove,
Entertainment Weekly,
25 Oct. 2025
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However, the saga unearths new layers in the second season as Natalia shares her harrowing experiences with her adoptive parents and has a face-to-face confrontation with Michael.—
James Mercadante,
PEOPLE,
25 Oct. 2025
Adverb
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More recently, Mamdani tackled the Islamophobic attacks against him head-on, with a heartfelt message that drew comparisons to Obama's race speech.—
Ben Adler,
USA Today,
2 Nov. 2025
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Then only weeks later, Eugene was badly injured when his car was struck head-on by another vehicle that crossed the median on a two-lane highway.—
Liz Rothaus Bertrand,
Charlotte Observer,
31 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Head-to-head.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/head-to-head. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
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