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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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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
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But Kendrick did not have to straddle a white-hot rivalry like Velazquez.—
Matt Baker,
The Athletic,
19 Jan. 2025
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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
Verb
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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
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Grace grew up dancing recreationally in Topeka and joined her high school dance team to compete against other schools in the area.—
Taylor O’Connor,
Kansas City Star,
25 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Personal battles Trump, who has been convicted by a jury of his peers and was indicted four times after his first term, referred to his legal troubles during his speech.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
20 Jan. 2025
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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
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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
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The suit, submitted in U.S. District Court, contends that Black voters, who represent nearly one-third of the county's electorate, face significant barriers to electing candidates of their choice under the current system.—
Yaakov Katz,
Newsweek,
17 Jan. 2025
Noun
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The game figures to be tight, and for a while now, coach Andy Reid’s Chiefs have been winning such duels.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
25 Jan. 2025
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His brawn did not correlate with a ranking in the bottom seven per cent of defenders from Europe’s top five leagues for aerial duels won and in the bottom one per cent for tackles won.—
Jacob Tanswell,
The Athletic,
24 Jan. 2025
Verb
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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
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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
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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
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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
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An Israeli soldier was injured in the confrontation, the military said.—
Matthew Mpoke Bigg,
New York Times,
23 Jan. 2025
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Prosecutors say Scott, a Bradenton man, was among the first rioters to initiate physical confrontations with police on the Capitol steps, helping to lead the mob that breached the building.—
Michael Moore Jr.,
Miami Herald,
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 1 Feb. 2025.
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