face-off

1 of 2

noun

1
: a method of beginning play (as in hockey or lacrosse) in which two opponents face each other and attempt to gain control of a puck or ball dropped or placed between them
2

face off

2 of 2

verb

faced off; facing off; faces off

intransitive verb

: to be in or come into opposition or competition
politicians facing off against each other in a televised debate

Examples of face-off in a Sentence

Verb eager to face off with her longtime tennis rival
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Both candidates can be confident of a face-off in November. Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Mar. 2024 Between the Super Tuesday results and the president’s State of the Union address, a Joe Biden–Donald Trump face-off—the first presidential rematch since the 1950s—has become all but certain. The Editors, The Atlantic, 9 Mar. 2024 Often, this category is a face-off between substance and style. Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 And that’s not to mention the absolutely iconic face-off between Ripley and another maternal figure in the movie – namely the horrifying Alien Queen, as seen above. Dan Heching, CNN, 2 Mar. 2024 Two races — District 1 and District 3 — feature direct, high-cost face-offs between those who ally with charter schools and those who side with the teachers union. Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 29 Feb. 2024 Villeneuve is adept at staging grand-scale battles, but the movie’s best set piece is the climactic tooth-and-nail face-off between Paul and this grinning gargoyle. Peter Rainer, The Christian Science Monitor, 29 Feb. 2024 Deficiencies flagged in paperwork for County Board candidates Three districts could see a face-off between the supervisory incumbent and their opponent. Journal Sentinel, 26 Feb. 2024 Porter or Lee would generate a more interesting face-off and give voters a credible choice. George Skelton, The Mercury News, 21 Feb. 2024
Verb
Indian Wells Open near Palm Springs, and is scheduled to face off later Thursday against Alexander Zverev in the quarterfinals. Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024 He is set to face off against President Biden in a 2020 rematch. Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 13 Mar. 2024 Hutt is certain to face off against attorney Grace Yoo in her district. David Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 9 Mar. 2024 Those nominees will then face off in the November 5 general election. Observer Staff Reports, Charlotte Observer, 5 Mar. 2024 Breaking is the first World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) event to be added to the Olympic program, and in Paris, 16 b-boys and 16 b-girls will face off in one-on-one battles set against a DJ’s hip-hop soundtrack. George Ramsay, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024 The two men are likely to face off in the November presidential election. Carrie Johnson, NPR, 4 Mar. 2024 The launch of new store brands, such as Simple Truth, helped Kroger face off with Walmart on price and assortment, while stealing share upmarket from Whole Foods. Errol Schweizer, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2024 The slaying catapulted a shaken and grieving college campus into the national political spotlight, reviving a familiar campaign theme for Trump, who is widely expected to face off against Biden in the November election. Nick Miroff, Washington Post, 27 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'face-off.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1889, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1948, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of face-off was in 1889

Dictionary Entries Near face-off

Cite this Entry

“Face-off.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/face-off. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

face-off

1 of 2 noun
ˈfā-ˌsȯf
1
: a method of putting a puck in play in ice hockey by dropping it between two opposing players
2
: a meeting of opposing forces : confrontation

face off

2 of 2 verb
: to be in or come into opposition or competition
politicians facing off each other in a debate

More from Merriam-Webster on face-off

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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