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
Example 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
Ryan Canfield, Fox News, 16 Jan. 2025
After all, the high-stakes game saw the Lions and the Vikings battle it out for the NFC North Division title in their final face-off of the regular season, with the Lions coming out on top, 31-9 against the Vikings.
—EW.com, 6 Jan. 2025
Ben Morse, CNN, 29 Jan. 2025
Fans around the country and worldwide will see the Kansas City Chiefs face off against the Philadelphia Eagles for the championship Sunday, Feb. 9.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 27 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for face-off 
Noun
Wild forward Ryan Hartman put Minnesota back on top 3-2 at the beginning of the second period after a quick goal off a face-off.
—Ryan Canfield, Fox News, 16 Jan. 2025
After all, the high-stakes game saw the Lions and the Vikings battle it out for the NFC North Division title in their final face-off of the regular season, with the Lions coming out on top, 31-9 against the Vikings.
—EW.com, 6 Jan. 2025
Verb
The two teams faced off in Super Bowl LVII, the first championship game ever to feature two brothers playing on opposing squads, with Travis and the Chiefs ending up victorious in Arizona that time.
—Ben Morse, CNN, 29 Jan. 2025
Fans around the country and worldwide will see the Kansas City Chiefs face off against the Philadelphia Eagles for the championship Sunday, Feb. 9.
—Joseph Hernandez, Kansas City Star, 27 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for face-off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for face-off
Noun
-
Gleason also was a key player on the floor in Friday night’s rivalry game.—
Steve Millar,
Chicago Tribune,
1 Feb. 2025
-
That’ll add some fuel to the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry.—
Gabrielle Starr,
Boston Herald,
30 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
This follows Trump’s recent order restricting access for transgender children and teens to compete in sports from kindergarten through senior year of high school.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
6 Feb. 2025
-
Players have also received special invitations to compete in other majors, as is the case with Joaquin Niemann’s upcoming appearance at the Masters on April 10-13.—
Jamie Barton,
CNN,
6 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Her non-exhaustive account of the battle for equal rights in America includes more than one hundred laws, court rulings, murders, assassinations, books, films, protests, and riots.—
Mara Hoberman,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2025
-
With the dual set to start at 7:00 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network, wrestling fans are in for a battle that could shake up the rankings and set the tone for the postseason.—
Dan Perry,
Newsweek,
31 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
The club put him on waivers last season but no contending clubs bit.—
Andrew Baggarly,
The Athletic,
30 Jan. 2025
-
At the meeting, housing advocates contended that the county‘s waiver proposal would slash too many restrictions, bypassing laws aimed at solving the region’s affordable housing crisis.—
Rebecca Ellis,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Per Opta, Gonzalez ranks first for Porto for possession regains (73), tackles (34) and aerial duels contested (68) this season.—
Sam Lee,
The Athletic,
5 Feb. 2025
-
This is an exercise in grandstanding compared with the Aaron Burr-Alexander Hamilton duel, which ended in Hamilton’s death.—
Stephen Humphries,
The Christian Science Monitor,
30 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Evolving since 2001’s The Fast and the Furious from looking at underground street racing to global espionage, the films have Ludacris playing Tej, a tech-savvy mechanic, race organizer and hacker who is a core member of Dominic Toretto’s (Vin Diesel) crew.—
Matt Grobar,
Deadline,
4 Feb. 2025
-
Forgetting to pay rent can lead to eviction; the sudden urge to race down a freeway could end in a crash.—
Yasmin Tayag,
The Atlantic,
3 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
An 18-year-old Button first came to prominence in 1948, winning Olympic gold in St. Moritz, Switzerland, by being the first skater to land a double axel in competition.—
David K. Li,
NBC News,
31 Jan. 2025
-
Joe has written extensively on wines and spirits and judged many of the leading international wines and spirits competitions.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes,
30 Jan. 2025
Noun
-
Fay Vincent, who became an unexpected baseball commissioner in 1989 following the death of A. Bartlett Giamatti and then was forced out three years later by owners intent on a labor confrontation with players, has died.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
2 Feb. 2025
-
Early in his career, a confrontation with a veteran scout forced Dawkins to define his leadership style.—
Kimberly Wilson,
Essence,
1 Feb. 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 13 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share