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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And the vessels two rotational captains—Chris Gardner and Christian Trotter, both ex-Maltese Falcon skippers—compete over who can sail the yacht the most.—
Julia Zaltzman,
Robb Report,
26 Mar. 2025
Noun
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What else is going on Point Reyes’ historic dairies have been ousted after a legal battle.—
Ryan Fonseca,
Los Angeles Times,
21 Mar. 2025
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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
Verb
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Shortly before the end of Biden’s term in January, the Department of Education issued a fact sheet contending that Title IX applies to colleges’ direct payments to athletes reflecting revenue share/NIL.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
27 Mar. 2025
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The organization, which has paid the tax since 1972, contends that its work is rooted in Catholic values and mission and that the state is unfairly judging what counts as religious activity.—
Ron Estes,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Mar. 2025
Noun
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With a brewing 60 meter sprint race between NFL champion Tyreek Hill and Olympic gold medalist Noah Lyles locked in for sometime later this year, conversations have been running amok as to whether the crossover duel will actually field a competitive race.—
Cory Mull,
Forbes.com,
28 Mar. 2025
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Snell duels with Tarik Skubal, the incumbent AL Triple-Crowner and last year’s unanimous AL Cy Young.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
27 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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After The Bachelor premiered in 2002 and became an instant hit for ABC, other networks raced to create their own addictive dating show.—
Kristen Baldwin,
EW.com,
20 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The order directs the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to work with Attorney General Pam Bondi to ensure competition laws are enforced in the concert and entertainment industry.—
Samantha Delouya,
CNN Money,
31 Mar. 2025
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Mike White was released before the 2024 season after losing preseason competition to Thompson.—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
31 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 4 Apr. 2025.
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