as in face-to-face
in direct confrontation or competition
bragged that no one could go one-on-one with her in a game of darts and win
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for one-on-one
Adverb
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When Carrington and Dina sit down face-to-face to negotiate Allura’s divorce, Dina brings up Chase’s relationship with Maria as a means to blackmail him.—
Tom Smyth,
Vulture,
5 Nov. 2025 -
Over the past 15 years, face-to-face socialization has declined precipitously.—
Damon Beres,
The Atlantic,
5 Nov. 2025
Adverb
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Despite having the same 6-2 record, the selection committee appears to be going off the old eye test instead of valuing head-to-head matchups.—
Jordan Sigler,
MSNBC Newsweek,
5 Nov. 2025
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Each match consists of three rounds of competition, with rounds one and two featuring cheerleading skills including stunts, basket tosses, and tumbling in head-to-head, bracket-style rounds.—
Peter White,
Deadline,
3 Nov. 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
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Cite this Entry
“One-on-one.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/one-on-one. Accessed 9 Nov. 2025.
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