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
Some say the confrontations are not isolated, but part of a wider cycle of fear and resistance that is expected to intensify as operations expand.
—
Sydney Barragan, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
That event was still beset by confrontations, with someone jumping on a police officer, protesters smashing glass panes in the doors of the venue and members of the Proud Boys – a far-right group – clashing with demonstrators, according to local media reports.
—Curt Devine, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
While his viral confrontations often featured sharp rebuttals to liberal students, Kirk maintained that his goal was to foster serious consideration of conservative ideas among the next generation.
—Amanda Castro
joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
The Red Sea confrontations, where expensive interceptors have been used against low-cost drones, have underscored the economic challenges of missile-centric defenses.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2025
While Towanda plans the wedding of her dreams, the family is rocked by medical emergencies, explosive emotional confrontations, and the fallout from a public scandal that threatens to divide them for good.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Kirk’s appearance on several California university campus drew protests and led to confrontations.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Everyone is staring down the barrel of impending confrontations.
—Grace Byron, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025
Two men shot by Denver police – one who was killed and one seriously injured – in separate confrontations in late August were wielding fake guns, Denver Police Department officials said Thursday.
—Katie Langford, Denver Post, 5 Sep. 2025
Sydney Barragan, Oc Register, 13 Sep. 2025
That event was still beset by confrontations, with someone jumping on a police officer, protesters smashing glass panes in the doors of the venue and members of the Proud Boys – a far-right group – clashing with demonstrators, according to local media reports.
—Curt Devine, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
While his viral confrontations often featured sharp rebuttals to liberal students, Kirk maintained that his goal was to foster serious consideration of conservative ideas among the next generation.
—Amanda Castro
joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
The Red Sea confrontations, where expensive interceptors have been used against low-cost drones, have underscored the economic challenges of missile-centric defenses.
—Kapil Kajal, Interesting Engineering, 11 Sep. 2025
While Towanda plans the wedding of her dreams, the family is rocked by medical emergencies, explosive emotional confrontations, and the fallout from a public scandal that threatens to divide them for good.
—Charna Flam, People.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Kirk’s appearance on several California university campus drew protests and led to confrontations.
—William Melhado, Sacbee.com, 10 Sep. 2025
Everyone is staring down the barrel of impending confrontations.
—Grace Byron, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2025
Two men shot by Denver police – one who was killed and one seriously injured – in separate confrontations in late August were wielding fake guns, Denver Police Department officials said Thursday.
—Katie Langford, Denver Post, 5 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for confrontations
Noun
-
During his over five-decade career, Lawler was part of many iconic rivalries against the likes of Bret Hart, Kerry Von Erich, Terry Funk, Andy Kaufman, and much more.—
Jeremy Hanna,
MSNBC Newsweek,
11 Sep. 2025
-
No doubt, rivalries and disagreements still exist.—
David Mednicoff,
The Conversation,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The musical battles in K-Popped did require them to compete against each other.—
Joan MacDonald,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Years of lobbying and court battles by the LGBTQ community have achieved a few successes over the past decade.—
Chris Lau,
CNN Money,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Girls in particular report drops in confidence, disrupted sleep, and heavier struggles with mental health.—
Vibhas Ratanjee,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Production shutdowns, layoffs BrightDrop's struggles come less than a year after GM folded the commercial vans into its Chevrolet brand in a bid to boost its performance as GM tries to gain ground against competitors, including Ford and Rivian, in the electric van space.—
Jackie Charniga,
Freep.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The 27-year-old is technical, strong in duels, has a great engine to move up and down the pitch, a good ball progresser and reader of the game.—
Charlotte Harpur,
New York Times,
6 Sep. 2025
-
From playoff duels to major championship showdowns, their careers have been intertwined since the late 1990s.—
Devlina Sarkar,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
When Williams’ case was sent to DOAH, Citron filed a motion requesting, among other things, that DOAH Judge Todd Resavage disclose any potential conflicts.—
Mario Ariza,
ProPublica,
15 Sep. 2025
-
On closer inspection, however, activist fund principals often face irreconcilable conflicts.—
Kai Liekefett,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
At launch, the feature will be available exclusively for UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League competitions on the web across desktops.—
Todd Spangler,
Variety,
9 Sep. 2025
-
After it was completed in 2011, the London Aquatics Centre went on to serve as one of the main venues for swimming, diving, and synchronized swimming during the 2012 competitions.—
Mae Hamilton,
AFAR Media,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
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 18 Sep. 2025.
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