DUEL Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

duel 1 of 2

noun

ˈdü-əl

Definition of duel

as in rivalry

an earnest effort for superiority or victory over another a duel for the title of captain of the team

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

duel

2 of 2

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 duel

Noun

Girls golf Yuhan Wang, Harper Zhai and Chloe Chen all shot 2-under-par 34 for The First Academy at Links of Lake Mary to give the Royals a stellar 137-145 win against Lake Mary Prep in a duel of unbeaten teams. — Buddy Collings, The Orlando Sentinel, 23 Sep. 2026 Pries’s suggestion, known as the inverse Galois problem, was inspired by the work of the 19th-century French mathematician Évariste Galois, who perished after he was wounded in a gun duel at age 20. — Lyndie Chiou, Scientific American, 22 Sep. 2026

Verb

The final day of Georgia’s marquee Republican runoffs ended Monday with dueling endorsements and a barrage of campaign stops stretching from the coast to the Tennessee line. — Greg Bluestein, AJC.com, 16 June 2026 Commercial traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, the vital waterway through which the region’s insecurity quickly becomes a global economic problem, remained hostage to dueling coercive measures. — Ali Vaez, Time, 15 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for duel

Recent Examples of Synonyms for duel

Noun

And allowing the top seeds to select their opponents in the first two rounds would create compelling storylines, intensify existing rivalries and create new ones.

— Ryan Morik OutKick, FOXNews.com, 8 Oct. 2026
Better still, they could’ve been forced to navigate a professional rivalry if, say, Roy is expected to support Chelsea’s women’s club.

— Ben Travers, IndieWire, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of rivalry

Verb

Neither candidate has a strategy for combatting Brazil’s growing dependence on China for trade, a key issue in the presidential race.

— Ashley Gold, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2026
As Brazil’s finances tighten, the threat is evolving far faster than the Brazilian state can direct resources to combat it.

— MATIAS SPEKTOR, Foreign Affairs, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of combat

Noun

Chinese media reported that PLA forces deployed Type 99A main battle tanks alongside drones, uncrewed ground vehicles and helicopters.

— Bojan Stojkovski, Interesting Engineering, 4 Oct. 2026
Alabama and Mississippi State battle, and Underdog is offering new users a chance to use promo code FOXNEWS to earn up to $100 in bonus bets on a $5 wager.

— OutKick, FOXNews.com, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of battle

Verb

Kosovo has criticized the verdicts as unjust, maintaining that the KLA, which Thaci had led before entering politics, fought against Serbian oppression.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
His emphasis on fighting crime, his anti-left agenda and his confrontations with the Supreme Federal Court and Brazil’s political establishment directly appeal to issues that have mobilized Bolsonaro’s base for years.

— Alessandra Freitas, CNN Money, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of fight

Noun

Both residents and politicians fear the court ruling would tarnish Kosovo's independence struggle.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 Oct. 2026
Evidence at the crime scene led investigators to believe there had likely been a struggle between Feldman and her killer leading up her death, suggesting that Feldman had fought hard.

— Megan Fahrney, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of struggle

Verb

Through the season’s first two weeks, any thoughts of the Falcons contending for a playoff spot appeared delusional and all conversations appeared moot.

— Daniel Flick, AJC.com, 7 Oct. 2026
Mancuso filed a $45 million breach-of-contract suit, contending that he’d been fired, and later settled for as much as $20 million.

— Richard Natale, Variety, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of contend

Noun

Decisions about industrial policy, infrastructure, public spending, and competition increasingly have to account not only for emissions but climate risk.

— Justin Worland, Time, 3 Oct. 2026
But could Cruise use his movie star promotion power to get himself into the best-actor Oscar competition, despite the film suffering from tepid reviews and a possibly paltry box office?

— Rebecca Ford, Vanity Fair, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of competition

Verb

Why attendance is the number to watch Even in a traditional school year, districts across Texas have been wrestling with chronic absenteeism since COVID-19.

— Lina Ruiz October 8, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 Oct. 2026
As Grammy season comes into full swing, one of the biggest questions the Recording Academy will need to wrestle with is how to handle the current surge in popularity for country music.

— Alan Light, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of wrestle

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due

duel

dueled

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“Duel.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/duel. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of duel

noun

verb

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