head-to-head

adverb

ˈhed-tə-ˈhed How to pronounce head-to-head (audio)
Definition of head-to-headnext
as in toe-to-toe
in direct confrontation or competition it's fitting that the two best teams during the regular season will go head-to-head for the championship

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of head-to-head The head-to-head record heavily favors Portugal, who have 7 wins in 11 meetings. — Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 2 July 2026 There are 16 head-to-head matchups Sunday at Sonoma, with the highest finisher advancing to the next round. — ABC News, 27 June 2026 Palm Beach edges Florida via head-to-head results for 3rd, as does Bay Area over Carolina for 5th. — Todd Boss, Forbes.com, 29 June 2026 The Yankees and Jays finished with the same 94-68 record, but Toronto won the head-to-head tiebreaker and, thus, the division. — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 29 June 2026 The most tantalizing head-to-head in this half of the draw is still the potential quarterfinal between Gauff and Jessica Pegula. — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 2 July 2026 As of Tuesday morning, Langeliers led his head-to-head voting matchup with Toronto Blue Jays backstop Alejandro Kirk with 66% of the vote, MLB announced. — Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 1 July 2026 The Cup Series race in Joliet will be the second race of NASCAR's five-race In-Season Challenge, with drivers competing head-to-head in a bracket-style competition for a $1 million prize. — Jori Parys, CBS News, 29 June 2026 An April survey by New Bridge Strategy, a Republican pollster, and Aspect Strategic, a Democratic firm, for the nonpartisan Colorado Polling Institute did not test the head-to-head race but did look at favorability of leading Colorado Democrats. — Phillip M. Bailey, USA Today, 30 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for head-to-head
  1. face-to-face
  2. head-on
Adverb
  • Ready California has reached more than 16 million Californians through face-to-face outreach, according to the governor’s office.
    — Naomi Taxay, Sacbee.com, 7 July 2026
  • The energy and insights generated through face-to-face exchange are truly impossible to replicate in virtual environments.
    — C200, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026
Definition of face-to-face
Adverb
  • Volvo shared some new crash footage with Popular Science, showing how their design choices protect drivers even during head-on moose collisions.
    — Mack DeGeurin, Popular Science, 18 June 2026
  • On a new episode of Call Her Daddy, Wilde digs in, addressing many of those controversies head-on while eliding others.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 17 June 2026
Definition of head-on

Browse Nearby Words

heads-ups
head-to-head
headwaiter
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Cite this Entry

“Head-to-head.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/head-to-head. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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