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

Relevance

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 This week, the Dodgers will go head-to-head against the Brewers, and the Guardians will face the Rays in the best-of-seven Championship series. — Jason Cohen, PC Magazine, 12 Oct. 2026 Enter Crossplay, The New York Times’s first head-to-head multiplayer game. — Sean McGowan, New York Times, 12 Oct. 2026 Jaguar once went head-to-head with competitors like Mercedes-Benz and BMW, making splashy appearances in James Bond films. — Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 10 Oct. 2026 As two formidable women go head-to-head, their battle for the soul of Longview exposes the secrets, resentments, and desires lurking beneath its picture-perfect surface. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2026 Believe it or not, head-to-head matchups don't actually determine which team is better than the other, especially when the teams are closely matched. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 7 Oct. 2026 The two will go head-to-head in several of the night’s biggest categories, including Album of the Year and Best Solo Artist, as well as Best Alternative Release — a category returning to the ARIAs for the first time since 2016. — Jessica Lynch, Billboard, 6 Oct. 2026 The candidates for governor meet Tuesday night at the Atlanta News First studios, their first head-to-head showdown of the general election and also their only chance to directly challenge each other before Election Day. — Adam Beam, AJC.com, 6 Oct. 2026 In the finale, the last two contestants face a head-to-head escape where only one can win. — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for head-to-head
  1. face-to-face
  2. head-on
Adverb
  • On Thursday, a career fair in southwest Atlanta brought job seekers face-to-face with employers looking to hire.
    — Jamal Goss, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • As leader of the Senate Republican caucus, his leadership style is one that prioritizes face-to-face conversations.
    — Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of face-to-face
Adverb
  • Martinez came out to meet a free kick into the area and had a head-on-head clash with Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite midway through the second half of the match at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 17 Oct. 2026
  • If two typical galaxies met in a head-on collision, the dark matter would experience very little friction, or drag, and would keep on rocketing by.
    — Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of head-on

Browse Nearby Words

heads-ups
head-to-head
headwaiter
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Head-to-head.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/head-to-head. Accessed 21 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of jilt

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Did 'orange' the fruit or the color come first?

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All