as in rivalry
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
the annual fall face-off between these traditional rivals is a big event for both football-mad colleges
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Recent Examples of face-off
Clifford Coonan, Variety, 17 Mar. 2025
The injured players are invited to attend every Wales home game, just like the Six Nations face-off.
—Janine Henni, People.com, 15 Mar. 2025
Worth Sparkman, Axios, 18 Mar. 2025
When these teams faced off in SEC play, Tennessee hit nine 3-pointers to Texas’ one.
—Chantel Jennings, The Athletic, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Noun
And there’s not a roundhouse kick or a high-octane pistol face-off in sight.
—Clifford Coonan, Variety, 17 Mar. 2025
The injured players are invited to attend every Wales home game, just like the Six Nations face-off.
—Janine Henni, People.com, 15 Mar. 2025
Verb
Men The Razorbacks will face off against the Kansas Jayhawks in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday in Providence, Rhode Island.
—Worth Sparkman, Axios, 18 Mar. 2025
When these teams faced off in SEC play, Tennessee hit nine 3-pointers to Texas’ one.
—Chantel Jennings, The Athletic, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for face-off
Noun
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Saturday’s meeting between St. John’s and Arkansas (21-13) is set to renew a decades-long rivalry between Pitino and Calipari.—
Peter Sblendorio,
New York Daily News,
21 Mar. 2025
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Pitino had unknowingly helped give Calipari his first big break and started a rivalry that lasts today.—
Tim Casey,
Forbes,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Every male in the crowd competes to align their tails with the lone female red-sided garter snake for a chance at copulation.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
26 Mar. 2025
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But here in New York, baseball as a mirror of society commences, commences with the rollout of Aaron Judge and Juan Soto competing crosstown — this year and for many seasons to come.—
Greg Marotta,
New York Daily News,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Russia is also not able to produce large quantities of new advanced main battle tanks and the production of new equipment is limited.—
Thomas G. Moukawsher,
Newsweek,
21 Mar. 2025
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The 65-year-old Augustinian friar and his three fellow monks, who have dedicated their lives to silent prayer inside Florence’s Santo Spirito monastery, are preparing to go into battle over plans to open a luxury retirement home on the site.—
Barbie Latza Nadeau,
CNN,
21 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Other development experts contend that foreign aid programs, while imperfect, have still made meaningful progress in improving health, education and freedoms.—
Sarah Stroup,
The Conversation,
19 Mar. 2025
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Plaintiffs' attorneys contend Trump's order violates transgender people's rights to equal protection under the Fifth Amendment.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
19 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The 26-year-old right-back covered 11.5 kilometres, had 43 sprints and 59 touches, and 70% of his duels and 100% of his one-v-one situations to help Leipzig secure a crucial 2-0 win in what remains a tight race for the Champions League spots.—
Manuel Veth,
Forbes,
16 Mar. 2025
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Implementing that into my play, which is being more dynamic, getting into tackles more, winning more duels offensively and defensively.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
15 Mar. 2025
Verb
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Bowman raced to the top of the leaderboard in qualifying Saturday, during which the red-hot Josh Berry earned the other starting spot on the front row.—
Sam Navarro,
Charlotte Observer,
23 Mar. 2025
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There are incredibly talented young drivers in this sport who work 24/7 just to keep racing.—
Jenn Nelson,
Forbes,
20 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The Relationship with Streaming Platforms The integration of streaming giants into the festival landscape has been a point of contention, with Cannes refusing to include films from platforms like Netflix in its main competition.—
Jamie Lang,
Variety,
19 Mar. 2025
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With the reduction of public offerings, the youth sports programming gap was filled by private clubs and leagues, which placed more emphasis on athleticism, competition and sometimes elite-style training.—
Mark Rerick,
The Conversation,
19 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The Trump administration's decision to deport 137 Venezuelan migrants last weekend despite a judge's order blocking the move was viewed by some legal scholars as an escalation in President Donald Trump's confrontation with the judiciary.—
Reuters,
USA TODAY,
23 Mar. 2025
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Extremist violence runs from organized groups to lone attackers and from right-wing or white supremacist ideologies to leftist confrontations with police and the recent Tesla vandalism.—
Patrik Jonsson,
The Christian Science Monitor,
21 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Face-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/face-off. Accessed 31 Mar. 2025.
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