head-to-head

American  

[hed-tuh-hed] / ˈhɛd təˈhɛd /

adjective

1. in direct confrontation, opposition, or competition.

   a head-to-head battle between the two companies.

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head-to-head British  

adjective

1. in direct competition

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noun

1. a competition involving two people, teams, etc

Etymology

Origin of head-to-head

First recorded in 1790–1800

Example Sentences

“They’re going to have to have a play in robotics for the consumer market, and that may that may cause them go more head-to-head with Tesla and others,” Reitzes said.

From Barron's • Mar. 31, 2026

Both of the 22-year-old's Grand Slam victories were sealed with wins in finals against Sabalenka and the pair's head-to-head record was level at 6-6 prior to Saturday's match.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

In the southern city of Marseille, the country's second largest, incumbent leftist mayor Benoit Payan is to go head-to-head with far-right candidate Franck Allisio in the first round.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

The critical conference game will decide the head-to-head tiebreaker between the teams that are separated by half a game in the standings.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

They rounded up not just thousands but hundreds of thousands of consumers all across North America, and in head-to-head blind taste tests, New Coke beat Pepsi by 6 to 8 percentage points.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell