face-off

American  

[feys-awf, -of] / ˈfeɪsˌɔf, -ˌɒf /

noun

Ice Hockey.

1. the act of facing the puck, as at the start of a game or period.

2. an open confrontation.

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face-off British  

noun

1. ice hockey the method of starting a game, in which the referee drops the puck, etc between two opposing players

2. a confrontation

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verb

1. to start play by (a face-off)

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

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

But the 30-year-old star will have to face-off against DiCaprio and Michael B. Jordan, although Irish heartthrob Paul Mescal was not nominated for his role as Shakespeare in "Hamnet".

From Barron's • Feb. 22, 2026

In the three-part docuseries, Tyra admits that certain moments, such as her face-off with Tiffany in cycle four, "went too far".

From BBC • Feb. 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