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
Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 1 Jan. 2026
Each face-off can be captured and shared directly with participants to post on their social channels.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 31 Dec. 2025
Julianna Duennes Russ, Austin American Statesman, 12 Jan. 2026
After the Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers face off tonight, the divisional round will be fully set.
—Hannah Vanbiber, New York Times, 12 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for face-off
Noun
There's the long foreseen Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown)-versus-Vecna face-off, coupled with a dramatic Godzilla-sized ensemble fight.
—Verb
The winners of Divisional Round games ultimately face off in the conference championships.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for face-off
Noun
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After sending the cheeseheads packing with the biggest playoff comeback in franchise history, Ben Johnson spiced up the rivalry with some salty language.—
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As interbranch rivalry morphed into systemic partisan competition, a judiciary dominated by Republican appointees began consolidating its authority at Congress’s expense.—
Verb
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Much of the movie's story revolves around Marty's chaotic efforts to make enough money to travel to Japan and compete in a tournament there.—
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The Associated Press reported that the grim discovery underscores the tactics used by criminal groups competing for control of territory and trafficking routes, especially along the country’s coastline.—
Noun
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This was not a rare occurrence at the university, where the presence of many students depended on the outcome of factional battles in their countries of origin.—
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In fact, filming the entire episode was quite the experience as the actress spent a lot of time arguing with herself as Maddie and Sara engaged in a battle of wills for control over the call center.—
Verb
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The candidacy challenge contends that Wilcox used the wrong form to file for office in December and left off information that was required.—
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But the coalition of environmental groups contends the PSC cleared Georgia Power’s expansion without the data to show all of the new power plants are needed, at least for now.—
Noun
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Nothing but bleeps ahead of Sunday's divisional duel with the Los Angeles Rams.—
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The predictive duel for Best Picture The Globes are regarded by some as a frivolous event in which celebrities care less about the awards and more about the drinks at their tables.—
Verb
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The Clippers raced to a 14-5 lead, but the Knicks answered with eight straight points and the game was close for the first three quarters.—
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In Altadena, employees with the small local water utilities raced across town protecting and fixing the water systems firefighters relied on.—
Noun
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The federal determination highlights how permitting males to compete on female teams displaces female athletes from podiums, denies them advancement opportunities, and diminishes their visibility and recognition in competitions.—
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This has created a growing, glowing, billion-dollar segment of the beauty market and fierce competition among purveyors of this radiant technology.—
Noun
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Frey said an incident Friday night that led to property damage at an area hotel and confrontation with police officers was an outlier to the largely peaceful events in recent days.—
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Ross argued that allowing local police to provide basic crowd control — rather than restricting coordination — could have reduced risks during recent confrontations.—
Cite this Entry
“Face-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/face-off. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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