as in rivalry
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
a duel for the title of captain of the team
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Recent Examples of duel
Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 8 Dec. 2024
The jewelry-store duel is very Kill Bill, with the two women tossing out insults before attacking brutally and relentlessly: throwing each other around glass cases, using the shop’s offerings as weaponry, and avoiding the incapacitated store owner.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2024
Will Knight, WIRED, 20 Dec. 2024
Even worse, Sue was mostly a bystander as Rachel and Sam dueled it out at final Tribal and garnered pretty much all of the attention and questions from the jury… even though Sue only got one less vote than Sam!
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for duel 
Noun
And if Alabama cancels marquee matchups, other SEC schools will assuredly follow — potentially sapping the sport of must-see intersectional duels that energize the September competition calendar.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 8 Dec. 2024
The jewelry-store duel is very Kill Bill, with the two women tossing out insults before attacking brutally and relentlessly: throwing each other around glass cases, using the shop’s offerings as weaponry, and avoiding the incapacitated store owner.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 6 Dec. 2024
Verb
The two dueling models show competition between OpenAI and Google to be fiercer than ever.
—Will Knight, WIRED, 20 Dec. 2024
Even worse, Sue was mostly a bystander as Rachel and Sam dueled it out at final Tribal and garnered pretty much all of the attention and questions from the jury… even though Sue only got one less vote than Sam!
—Dalton Ross, EW.com, 19 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for duel
Recent Examples of Synonyms for duel
Noun
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During his visit, Boric reaffirmed Chile's commitment to the treaty, emphasizing that its provisions safeguard Antarctica from geopolitical rivalries.Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
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The rivalry between Clark and Angel Reese became one of the hottest in sports after their meeting in the 2023 NCAA women's basketball championship game, when Reese's LSU Tigers defeated Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes.Jackson Thompson, Fox News, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Small teams of Green Berets, known as Operational Detachment Alphas, are trained to carry out specialized missions from counterinsurgency and unconventional warfare to combat raids and special reconnaissance missions.James LaPorta, CBS News, 2 Jan. 2025
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Bankers noted there is a significant focus on cybersecurity to combat the growing sophistication of fraud and data breaches.Paul Davis, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Osbourne didn't share much about her treatment, but this update comes on the heels of her recent battle with a high fever over the holidays.Tommy Tuberville, Newsweek, 9 Jan. 2025
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While the legal battle is ongoing with the Swiss high court (and likely to be prolonged), Chiles reflected in November on the impact of the controversy.Caroline Price, Forbes, 8 Jan. 2025
Verb
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Part 3: Hunter Biden to fight felony firearm charges in Delaware trial Judgment Day: Why 2024 rematch won’t be any old sequel Election Day was less than six months away, and voters had a familiar choice of Joe Biden and Donald Trump.Washington Examiner Staff, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 9 Jan. 2025
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But TikTok has fought the law at every turn, arguing that the U.S. government is overstepping its bounds by attempting to regulate foreign ownership of a private company.Nik Popli, TIME, 9 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Ian Cramer's Drug Use The sentencing hearing largely centered on Ian Cramer's struggles with addiction and mental health.George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2024
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And the former coach believes Leftwich became the scapegoat for the Buccaneers’ struggles.Mike Jones, The Athletic, 31 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Moreover, many thought leaders and AI evangelists contend that predictive AI delivers greater returns than genAI.Eric Siegel, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
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It should be noted, too, that Houston wants to contend in 2025 and is still in search of another leverage reliever, even with Pressly still on the roster.Chandler Rome, The Athletic, 6 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Fundamental market forces, from technological breakthroughs to fierce global competition, are driving this momentum.Mindy Lubber, Forbes, 6 Jan. 2025
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That posture appears to be benefiting China in its geopolitical competition with the United States—even though Beijing is guilty of human-rights abuses against a Muslim community within its own territory.Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 6 Jan. 2025
Noun
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But Washington’s refusal to let Seoul act on its concerns now sets the allies up for an unnecessary confrontation.Robert E. Kelly, Foreign Affairs, 30 Dec. 2024
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This heated confrontation quickly escalated, and soon after, a match between the two was officially announced for January 11, 2025, at an upcoming ROW event.George Monastiriakos, Newsweek, 30 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near duel
Cite this Entry
“Duel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/duel. Accessed 15 Jan. 2025.
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