face-off
Americannoun
-
face-offs
plural
-
the act of facing the puck, as at the start of a game or period.
-
an open confrontation.
noun
-
ice hockey the method of starting a game, in which the referee drops the puck, etc between two opposing players
-
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.
See Examples For:
The Indian journalist Varghese George describes the BJP’s confrontation with the cockroach protesters as a face-off between India’s older “WhatsApp generation” and the “Instagram generation.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 29, 2026
The pair shared a face-off that lasted well over a minute.
From BBC ● Jun. 1, 2026
Even before the face-off, his Democratic rivals began ramping up their focus on Becerra.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
The face-off took place at a critical moment before the June 2 primary.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 2026
The stage was set for the first and most sensational face-off of the Cold War era in the United States.
From "Spies: The Secret Showdown Between America and Russia" by Marc Favreau
But this week she has welled up under the glare of the cameras and stayed a fraction longer during face-offs to absorb the magnitude of the moment.
From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2026
He’s at 92.4% winning face-offs for the 5-1 Cubs, whose only loss came to San Francisco’s St. Ignatius 12-11.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 8, 2026
Game and player data can also be used to create content like fantasy league face-offs that will keep fans coming back even in the off seasons, when there are no big games.
From Barron's ● Feb. 18, 2026
These face-offs - as seen in the Eminem film 8Mile - are where artists compete live, swapping disses and trying to spit the best bars to take home the prize.
From BBC ● Feb. 14, 2025
The fights are copious, and in another new twist for “Star Wars,” many of them take the form of balletic martial arts face-offs.
From New York Times ● Jun. 4, 2024
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.
