faces off

present tense third-person singular of face off
as in competes
to engage in a contest eager to face off with her longtime tennis rival

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 faces off Democrats find themselves in a similar situation this year, as a young up-and-comer faces off against a GOP opponent widely seen as vulnerable. — Eleanor Dearman updated August 29, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Aug. 2026 As Crown, Jordan faces off against a former FBI agent (Adria Arjona) hunting him heist by heist. — Mya Copeland, Variety, 29 July 2026 With Kean running unopposed in the June 2 Republican primary, whichever Democrat faces off against him in November will almost certainly shape their campaign around his disappearance. — Zachary Schermele, USA Today, 23 May 2026 The singer faces off with Priestly just before an Italian fashion show performance. — Nigel Smith, PEOPLE, 2 May 2026 Jordan's character, a billionaire, faces off against a former FBI agent (played by Adria Arjona). — Saba Hamedy, NBC news, 17 Apr. 2026 These people have already drunk their faces off. — Brian Moylan, Vulture, 26 Feb. 2026 Christopher plays Anatoly Sergievsky, a Soviet chess champion who faces off against an American (Aaron Tveit), with a woman caught between them (Lea Michele). — Michael Schulman, New Yorker, 10 Nov. 2025 Before Alabama faces off against the South Carolina Gamecocks on Saturday, Saban offered a word of warning to head coach Kalen DeBoer and his Crimson Tide. — Andrew McCarty, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faces off
Verb
  • Travel retail is no longer a price-value proposition that competes just with the high street, but also with platforms such as Amazon, Rakuten and Tmall around the globe.
    — Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • But the headliner of the event was Dots, a new desktop agent product that competes directly with Meta’s recently released Muse virtual assistant.
    — Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • Her parents' lawsuit contends the military did not sign off on the work; the soldiers were freelancing as security guards to make some extra money on the side.
    — David Folkenflik, NPR, 4 Oct. 2026
  • Thursday’s lawsuit contends that the administration simply made the change on its own without giving proper notice.
    — Nicholas Riccardi, Los Angeles Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Verb
  • The Supra is one of the vehicles most closely associated with Walker’s Fast & Furious character, Brian O’Conner, who builds and races a bright orange version of the A80 in the first installment of the popular movie franchise.
    — Bryan Hood, Robb Report, 10 Sep. 2026
  • Europe races to scale The political tensions come as Europe’s commercial space industry is gathering momentum.
    — Elsa Ohlen, CNBC, 10 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Faces off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faces%20off. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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