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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of face-off
Kirsty Hatcher, People.com, 3 Jan. 2025
Meta hopes to attract a younger audience, in a face-off with key competitors like TikTok and Snapchat.
—Chris Westfall, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025
Sharon Bernstein, Sacramento Bee, 19 Jan. 2025
When these two teams faced off in Week 16, Kansas City pulled out a 27-19 win at Arrowhead.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 18 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for face-off 
Noun
The pair appeared to be engrossed in the game, which the Lakers won 114-106, with Deschanel captured gasping at one point during the tense face-off.
—Kirsty Hatcher, People.com, 3 Jan. 2025
Meta hopes to attract a younger audience, in a face-off with key competitors like TikTok and Snapchat.
—Chris Westfall, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025
Verb
Sports College Football: Ohio State will face off against Notre Dame for the College Football Playoff championship game in Atlanta at 7:30 pm EST, 4:30 pm PST.
—Sharon Bernstein, Sacramento Bee, 19 Jan. 2025
When these two teams faced off in Week 16, Kansas City pulled out a 27-19 win at Arrowhead.
—David Faris, Newsweek, 18 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for face-off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for face-off
Noun
-
While opposed by every government in the region, ISIS-K has exploited insecurity and international rivalries to entrench itself as one of the world's deadliest and most unpredictable non-state actors in the wake of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.—
David Faris,
Newsweek,
19 Jan. 2025
-
But Kendrick did not have to straddle a white-hot rivalry like Velazquez.—
Matt Baker,
The Athletic,
19 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
The fifth installment in the Hunger Games movie franchise will take viewers to Panem for the 50th annual games, where Haymitch Abernathy — Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence)'s future mentor in the original films — must compete.—
Samantha Stutsman,
People.com,
25 Jan. 2025
-
This is a roster that should have the pieces to compete right away, depending on what Mougey does at quarterback and in filling some other holes — but the more important task will be building something sustainable beyond this year.—
Zack Rosenblatt,
The Athletic,
25 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Meanwhile, more borrower-friendly regulations for the Borrower Defense to Repayment program remain stuck in a legal battle.—
Adam S. Minsky,
Forbes,
20 Jan. 2025
-
In a YouTube video released in October, Jake Paul announced his endorsement for Trump for the 2024 election and drew a bold comparison between the president-elect's legal battles and the historic struggles of America's Founding Fathers.—
Justin Gest,
Newsweek,
20 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Now after not knowing if her career was over, Prince could contend for an All-American spot, just like Van Lith, who is averaging 18.3 points and a career-high 6.2 assists.—
Steven Johnson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 Jan. 2025
-
The feds contend Pepsi’s conduct violates the Robinson-Patman Act (RPA), which was put in place in 1936 to protect small businesses.—
Brian Niemietz,
New York Daily News,
17 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Ragen is a steady bedrock, winning 67% of his aerial duels while being more difficult to dribble past than most in his position.—
Jeff Rueter,
The Athletic,
15 Jan. 2025
-
All-wheel drive isn’t available throughout the race, just during the qualifying duels, when launching off the grid, and in Attack Mode.—
James Morris,
Forbes,
11 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
The Night Agent has returned for season 2 and has already raced to the top of Netflix’s charts.—
Paul Tassi,
Forbes,
24 Jan. 2025
-
The Nets started 1-for-8 from the field and Phoenix raced out to a 9-2 lead with 7:15 left in the first quarter and were up 28-16 entering the second.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
23 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Making better use of A.I., Mr. Burns said, is crucial to the U.S. competition with China.—
Julian E. Barnes,
New York Times,
18 Jan. 2025
-
Howe’s men will share the club record of nine consecutive victories across all competitions with Kevin Keegan’s vintage (May to September 1994) and Rafa Benitez’s Championship-winning side (September to November 2016).—
Chris Waugh,
The Athletic,
18 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
An Israeli soldier was injured in the confrontation, the military said.—
Matthew Mpoke Bigg,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2025
-
The two still-unidentified men reportedly talked about being armed and tried to provoke a confrontation.—
Robert Salonga,
The Mercury News,
22 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near face-off
Cite this Entry
“Face-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/face-off. Accessed 29 Jan. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share