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
Greg Rosenstein, NBC News, 21 Feb. 2025
But he’s actually got an entertainingly loopy idea: to goad President Ross, his former captor, into a military face-off with Japan over the ownership of a cache of adamantium.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 12 Feb. 2025
Pueng Vongs, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2025
Orlando City struggled to score throughout 2024, and facing off against a team in transition could be the perfect opportunity to find their form early in the season.
—Kyle Foley, Orlando Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Noun
Players who for years were starved for the chance to play meaningful games on behalf of their country now would be able to face-off for international bragging rights.
—Greg Rosenstein, NBC News, 21 Feb. 2025
But he’s actually got an entertainingly loopy idea: to goad President Ross, his former captor, into a military face-off with Japan over the ownership of a cache of adamantium.
—Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 12 Feb. 2025
Verb
The Giants take on the Texas Rangers and the A’s face off against the San Diego Padres.
—Pueng Vongs, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2025
Orlando City struggled to score throughout 2024, and facing off against a team in transition could be the perfect opportunity to find their form early in the season.
—Kyle Foley, Orlando Sentinel, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for face-off
Noun
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The rivalry between the two legends, both on and off the course, is well known.—
Matt Robison,
Newsweek,
25 Feb. 2025
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After the goalless draw in one of soccer’s fiercest rivalries, the Portuguese manager was yet again outspoken in his press conference.—
Ben Church,
CNN,
25 Feb. 2025
Verb
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Related article World Athletics’ policy limiting trans women participation is ‘here to stay,’ says president Sebastian Coe Unable to compete in female world rankings competitions due to the current rules from the sport’s governing body, Telfer’s dreams of becoming an Olympian are currently on hold.—
Amanda Davies, Aleks Klosok and George Ramsay,
CNN,
18 Feb. 2025
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This matchup is part of the 2025 Oman Tri-Nation Series, which has these two nations and Namibia competing.—
Josh Hammer,
Newsweek,
18 Feb. 2025
Noun
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So, too, did anticolonial nationalists in the twentieth century conceive of their battles against Western empires in this way.—
Foreign Affairs,
Foreign Affairs,
25 Feb. 2025
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The movie, aka Episode III, takes place years after the onset of the Clone Wars, when the noble Jedi Knights lead a massive clone army into a galaxy-wide battle against the Separatists.—
Anthony D'Alessandro,
Deadline,
25 Feb. 2025
Verb
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President Trump and his chief cost-cutter, Elon Musk, contend the aid and development work is wasteful and furthers a liberal agenda.—
Ellen Knickmeyer,
Los Angeles Times,
23 Feb. 2025
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Miami would be foolish to hold onto him as the team still looks to be multiple years away from contending for a postseason berth.—
Mark Joseph,
Newsweek,
23 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Michelle Cooper, 22, winger (Kansas City Current) Another USWNT rookie, Cooper showed her ability to defend along the front line last season, ranking ninth among wingers and attacking midfielders by winning 50.3% of her duels.—
Jeff Rueter,
The Athletic,
20 Feb. 2025
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California’s Capitol has seen countless conflicts between economic interests, but few match the intensity of a duel between the fast food industry and labor unions that seemingly ended two years ago with compromise legislation raising the minimum wage to $20.—
Dan Walters,
Orange County Register,
19 Feb. 2025
Verb
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William Byron raced to his second straight Daytona 500 win, dodging a string of late-race wrecks that knocked out a chunk of contenders and sent the Hendrick Motorsports driver into victory lane Sunday night at Daytona International Speedway.—
Dan Gelston,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2025
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Mayor, 3 council seats open:Local Surprise City Hall races to watch in 2024 Speaking to the ongoing population and business growth in Surprise, Sada said there were multiple factors attributing to it.—
Shawn Raymundo,
The Arizona Republic,
16 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Tune in on Sunday to see which team will get the victory in this 2025 ICC Champions Trophy competition.—
Mark Joseph,
Newsweek,
23 Feb. 2025
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Sunday’s performance will kick off with Anthony, and will be followed by a set from Venezuelan comedian George Harris, the song competition, and Bacilos as the grand finale.—
Leila Cobo,
Billboard,
23 Feb. 2025
Noun
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Her fights are not just physical confrontations but manifestations of the battles within her.—
Kevin Cassidy,
The Hollywood Reporter,
16 Feb. 2025
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The gunman later died after a confrontation and shootout with police.—
David Sharos,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Face-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/face-off. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
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