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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Example Sentences
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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
Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 3 Mar. 2025
Netflix film Emilia Perez Source: Netflix For the first time in more than five decades two musicals are facing off in the best picture race.
—Sarah Whitten,sara Salinas,russell Leung, CNBC, 2 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
The mayor withdrew from a candidate forum last week, where he was supposed to face off against his mayoral challengers for the first time this election cycle.
—Josephine Stratman, New York Daily News, 3 Mar. 2025
Netflix film Emilia Perez Source: Netflix For the first time in more than five decades two musicals are facing off in the best picture race.
—Sarah Whitten,sara Salinas,russell Leung, CNBC, 2 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for face-off
Noun
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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
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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
Verb
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Their reign came to an end on a late February episode of Raw, where they were defeated by Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez. Despite losing the titles, both Belair and Naomi competed in the Women's Elimination Chamber match in Toronto.—
Mark Davis,
Newsweek,
15 Mar. 2025
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Block acquired Afterpay, which competes with Affirm, for $29 billion in early 2022.—
MacKenzie Sigalos,
CNBC,
14 Mar. 2025
Noun
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The battle to win recognition was long, arduous and involved an element of creativity.—
Nick Miller,
The Athletic,
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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But that's what's amazing about this sport, and about racing in Formula 1.—
Raja Krishnamoorthi,
Newsweek,
13 Mar. 2025
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In the summer months, hundreds of peak baggers set out at 2 a.m. or earlier to race for the summit of Longs Peak before the famed afternoon thunder storms start to roll in.—
Sean McNally,
Outdoor Life,
13 Mar. 2025
Noun
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Arsenal were eventually triumphant and went on to win that year’s competition.—
Jessy Parker Humphreys,
The Athletic,
19 Mar. 2025
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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
Noun
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Death Takes Me appears to have been a stepping stone to a more explicitly political confrontation with violence—one that refuses resignation and demands justice.—
Nicolás Medina Mora,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2025
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On February 28, the president had a heated confrontation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which resulted in Trump pausing military aid to Ukraine.—
Faisal Kutty,
Newsweek,
12 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Face-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/face-off. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.
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