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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Recent Examples of head-to-head
Amor & Droga [SOL] Even though she’s gone head-to-head on a track with Madonna and shaved her head onstage at FKA twigs’ Body High tour, Tokischa continues to find new ways to establish herself as one of neoperreo’s ballsiest torchbearers.
—
Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 17 Apr. 2026
South Florida Sun Sentinel columnist Chris Perkins is joined by Dave Hyde and David Furones to go head-to-head over the ups and downs of the Miami Dolphins in their live show, now available as a free podcast.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026
Each quadrant’s winner will face off on Friday, before the final head-to-head on Monday, April 20th to crown our winner.
—Literary Hub, 15 Apr. 2026
But Florida boasts the highest score achieved by any team this season, beat Oklahoma head-to-head at last month’s SEC championship, and was the only team other than Oklahoma to crack 198 at the regional final.
—Rebecca Tauber, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for head-to-head
Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 17 Apr. 2026
South Florida Sun Sentinel columnist Chris Perkins is joined by Dave Hyde and David Furones to go head-to-head over the ups and downs of the Miami Dolphins in their live show, now available as a free podcast.
—Chris Perkins, Sun Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026
Each quadrant’s winner will face off on Friday, before the final head-to-head on Monday, April 20th to crown our winner.
—Literary Hub, 15 Apr. 2026
But Florida boasts the highest score achieved by any team this season, beat Oklahoma head-to-head at last month’s SEC championship, and was the only team other than Oklahoma to crack 198 at the regional final.
—Rebecca Tauber, New York Times, 15 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for head-to-head
Recent Examples of Synonyms for head-to-head
Adverb
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Baby boomers—who currently occupy a significant share of managerial and executive roles—built their careers inside a workplace culture defined by formality, hierarchy, and personal relationships cultivated face-to-face.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
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After Hawks center Tony Bradley was called for an offensive foul for setting a hard screen on Alvarado, the veteran McCollum got into it with the scrappy Knicks guard, jawing face-to-face in a moment that underscored the growing chippiness in the series.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
21 Apr. 2026
Adverb
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Perkins, who is CEO of Canva, addressed head-on the concerns among many who work in creative industries about the potential for AI to supplant human labor.—
Cynthia Littleton,
Variety,
16 Apr. 2026
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Figures of Crisis makes productive use of this commonplace idea by tackling it head-on and turning it inside out.—
Ara H. Merjian,
ARTnews.com,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Head-to-head.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/head-to-head. Accessed 27 Apr. 2026.
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