face-off
Americannoun
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the act of facing the puck, as at the start of a game or period.
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an open confrontation.
noun
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ice hockey the method of starting a game, in which the referee drops the puck, etc between two opposing players
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a confrontation
verb
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of face-off
First recorded in 1895–1900; noun use of verb phrase face off
Explanation
A face-off is an in-person confrontation, like the face-off between rival ice hockey players or a face-off between presidential candidates on a debate stage. You can use the noun face-off whenever two people have a face-to-face showdown. You could even describe the duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr as a face-off (a deadly one, as it turned out). Rival groups or teams confronting each other is also a face-off, like the big championship face-off at the end of basketball season. This sports context is the way the word was originally used, dating from at least 1886.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Not a word was spoken during the final face-off before Wardley again offered a fist bump - this time in jest - as Dubois looked eager to leave the stage.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
Thurmond did not meet the polling threshold to qualify for Tuesday’s debate or an NBC/Telemundo face-off taking place on Wednesday.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
I recently became part of a face-off between two opposite-running Coco bots on the small strip of sidewalk in front of Cafe Figaro.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026
But they typically happen on a much smaller scale, making Eaton’s potential face-off with the administration unusual.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026
The face-off lasted for seconds that stretched into eternity, and then, with the scrabbling of claws, the dragon fled to the darkness at the rear of the barn.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
