as in rivalries
an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another
the softball rivals met in an epic confrontation on the last weekend of the summer
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Recent Examples of confrontations
Iran has in the past threatened to close the Strait during previous confrontations, raising the prospect of higher oil prices.
—
Anniek Bao, CNBC, 10 Feb. 2026
Volunteers spoke of the risks of verbal and physical confrontations with ICE agents, including the use of pepper spray and other irritants against observers and even arrests.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 8 Feb. 2026
Multiple confrontations have also taken place in Lake Worth Beach, which has become a focal point of immigration enforcement in recent months as FHP troopers patrol neighborhoods and where more than 100 PBSO deputies are trained to act as immigration officers under the agency’s 287(g) agreement.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026
The hope, the mayor’s executive order says, is to deescalate any potential confrontations.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
Videos of confrontations between immigration authorities and residents of the Twin Cities have continued to go viral near daily since talk of a drawdown began last week.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 4 Feb. 2026
The agency has called for greater cooperation with local authorities amid confrontations between federal officers and agitators in Minnesota, where local officials have accused ICE of terrorizing neighborhoods.
—Louis Casiano , Bill Melugin, FOXNews.com, 4 Feb. 2026
The resignations reflect the turbulence that has roiled the state over the last month or so as law enforcement officials have clashed over how to respond to violent confrontations during the heightened immigration enforcement.
—CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
Our reporting reveals that members and related officials have encouraged protesters to impede law enforcement; pushed civilians toward legally and physically risky confrontations; and helped mobilize a counterprotest that turned violent.
—Christina Buttons, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026
Anniek Bao, CNBC, 10 Feb. 2026
Volunteers spoke of the risks of verbal and physical confrontations with ICE agents, including the use of pepper spray and other irritants against observers and even arrests.
—Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 8 Feb. 2026
Multiple confrontations have also taken place in Lake Worth Beach, which has become a focal point of immigration enforcement in recent months as FHP troopers patrol neighborhoods and where more than 100 PBSO deputies are trained to act as immigration officers under the agency’s 287(g) agreement.
—Shira Moolten, Sun Sentinel, 6 Feb. 2026
The hope, the mayor’s executive order says, is to deescalate any potential confrontations.
—Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald, 5 Feb. 2026
Videos of confrontations between immigration authorities and residents of the Twin Cities have continued to go viral near daily since talk of a drawdown began last week.
—Matt Lavietes, NBC news, 4 Feb. 2026
The agency has called for greater cooperation with local authorities amid confrontations between federal officers and agitators in Minnesota, where local officials have accused ICE of terrorizing neighborhoods.
—Louis Casiano , Bill Melugin, FOXNews.com, 4 Feb. 2026
The resignations reflect the turbulence that has roiled the state over the last month or so as law enforcement officials have clashed over how to respond to violent confrontations during the heightened immigration enforcement.
—CBS News, 3 Feb. 2026
Our reporting reveals that members and related officials have encouraged protesters to impede law enforcement; pushed civilians toward legally and physically risky confrontations; and helped mobilize a counterprotest that turned violent.
—Christina Buttons, Washington Post, 3 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confrontations
Noun
-
As a 10-time world champion who’s entering her fifth, and final, Winter Olympics, American hockey star Hilary Knight, 35, has played a key role in energizing one of the greatest rivalries in all of sports.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
4 Feb. 2026
-
The sport was built on rivalries.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
While earlier phases of the Bay-Delta plan have already been litigated, much of the recent focus has been on lengthy negotiations and revisions to the plan, rather than on launching new courtroom battles.—
Chaewon Chung,
Sacbee.com,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The beef, which started in 1999, has spawned almost three decades of diss tracks and battles in real life and on social media.—
Assistant Editor,
Los Angeles Times,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Starmer faces mounting pressure from Labor MPs over his judgment, with his premiership now in jeopardy amid broader government struggles and poor polling.—
Jill Lawless,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
-
The 2025 August slide from the Padre with the biggest contract was especially unfortunate as the Padres (16-12 in August) were unable to fully capitalize on the Dodgers’ struggles (15-13 in August) to overtake them in the NL West.—
Jeff Sanders,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
That didn’t mean being blasé about the risks, but if the prototype for a centre-forward was Roberto Firmino rather than Andy Carroll, teams would adjust accordingly and aerial duels would be contested less regularly.—
Michael Cox,
New York Times,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Canada has won four of the six Olympics championship duels with its southern neighbors, with the 2006 victory giving the country five overall Olympic women’s hockey golds.—
Sean Gregory,
Time,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
If multiple hypotheses work to explain the data equally well but one conflicts with reality in some other realm (and the other doesn’t), the one that’s valid across the widest range of applicability is superior.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Previously, there was also a recasting of the original leads, Saoirse Ronan and Austin Butler, due to scheduling conflicts, with Spaeny and Starkey taking over the roles.—
Rosy Cordero,
Deadline,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The area, with an altitude of nearly 6,000 feet, plays host to all freestyle skiing and snowboarding competitions and has three hotels that were transformed into an Olympic village.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
12 Feb. 2026
-
The most obvious competitions look to be for the final roster spots in the bullpen and the outfield.—
Marc Topkin,
The Orlando Sentinel,
11 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
An administration official would make a claim about what happened, and later evidence would find these contentions to be misleading.—
Clarence Page,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Feb. 2026
-
However, the reality is that peace talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the US and Europe are clearly stalled, if at worse dead with many contentions from both sides surrounding security concerns and, importantly, trade sanctions.—
Earl Carr,
Forbes.com,
4 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Confrontations.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/confrontations. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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