as in rivalries
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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Recent Examples of face-offs
Much of the credit goes to the defense and to Andrew Golden, a junior who handles face-offs.
—
Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026
The plan is for the star forward to take face-offs again.
—Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
The film’s centerpieces are the face-offs between Plemons’ Teddy and Stone’s CEO.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 11 Feb. 2026
Turcotte has been an efficient point producer relative to his ice time, boasts strong two-way metrics, and has won nearly 56 percent of his face-offs this year.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
The film keeps pace through toe-curlingly tense table tennis face-offs, high-stakes hustles, and a jaw-dropping scene involving a bathtub that honestly puts Saltburn to shame.
—Anastasia Sanger, Glamour, 22 Dec. 2025
Several of these races have attracted attention beyond their city limits, for interesting face-offs or for their potential to signal where some states and districts could be leaning as next year's midterm elections draw closer.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 8 Mar. 2026
The plan is for the star forward to take face-offs again.
—Kalen Lumpkins, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
The film’s centerpieces are the face-offs between Plemons’ Teddy and Stone’s CEO.
—Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 11 Feb. 2026
Turcotte has been an efficient point producer relative to his ice time, boasts strong two-way metrics, and has won nearly 56 percent of his face-offs this year.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 9 Feb. 2026
The film keeps pace through toe-curlingly tense table tennis face-offs, high-stakes hustles, and a jaw-dropping scene involving a bathtub that honestly puts Saltburn to shame.
—Anastasia Sanger, Glamour, 22 Dec. 2025
Several of these races have attracted attention beyond their city limits, for interesting face-offs or for their potential to signal where some states and districts could be leaning as next year's midterm elections draw closer.
—Kathryn Palmer, USA Today, 29 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for face-offs
Noun
-
One of the fiercest divisional rivalries in the NFL will have a new look to it.—
Saad Yousuf,
New York Times,
15 May 2026
-
Cherfilus-McCormick referenced a previous interaction with Wasserman Schultz, signaling that political rivalries could intensify if both enter the race for District 20.—
Abby Dodge,
CBS News,
12 May 2026
Noun
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But if both of those battles end up as washes, the Knicks could pull away in this series because their work on the glass earns them extra shots.—
Tony Jones,
New York Times,
18 May 2026
-
Trustees increasingly want leaders capable of navigating not only fundraising and research growth, but also the political battles reshaping higher education.—
Garrett Shanley,
Miami Herald,
18 May 2026
Noun
-
Most of those have come from physical duels in the box but a few were the result of frustration, too.—
Anantaajith Raghuraman,
New York Times,
14 May 2026
-
The team won 64% of its duels overall and 81% of aerial duels while making more tackles, interceptions, clearances and more.—
Daniel Sperry,
Kansas City Star,
6 May 2026
Noun
-
This week’s quiz spotlights country stars and celebrity confrontations.—
Danielle Minnetian,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
-
Both men were hospitalized after the shooting; community members describe Eatherly as someone whose provocative actions have intensified tensions and dangerous confrontations.—
Kristin M. Hall,
Los Angeles Times,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
As YouTube has invested in its lean-back offerings designed for TV viewers, ESPN has brought more longform and live content to the platform, including live streams of elite youth basketball, flag football and volleyball competitions.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
15 May 2026
-
Cooking competitions bring together local chefs and home cooks, who showcase their creativity with traditional recipes and creative interpretations of the fruit.—
Taryn White,
Forbes.com,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
Those struggles can manifest in a range of ways, McClanahan said, from finding new coping mechanisms to replace food to ongoing body image concerns, even after weight loss.—
Stephanie Anderson Witmer,
Health,
14 May 2026
-
During the meeting, teams spoke about their struggles to support their travel to competitions.—
Katie Servas,
Hartford Courant,
14 May 2026
Noun
-
Pennsylvania's largest anime convention will feature contests where guests can show off their lipsyncing, scale model building and dance skills; musical guests and karaoke experiences; collectible games; educational panels and workshops; exhibit halls and vendors; and more.—
Finch Walker,
USA Today,
15 May 2026
-
That’s not to discount the other five division contests on the Panthers’ schedule.—
Alex Zietlow,
Charlotte Observer,
15 May 2026
Noun
-
While the Federal Reserve has kept its benchmark interest rate on hold so far in 2026, inflation surged in March and April on the back of a rising oil price, overseas conflicts and geopolitical uncertainty.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
19 May 2026
-
Recent conflicts have accelerated interest in unmanned maritime warfare.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
19 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Face-offs.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/face-offs. Accessed 22 May. 2026.
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