head-to-head

/ˌhɛd tu ˈhɛd//ˌhɛd tə ˈhɛd/

adjective

Direct, one-to-one.

Similar
tête-à-têtetete-a-teteprivateneck and necknip and tuckinconclusive
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Meanings

adjectivehead-to-head (comparative more head-to-head, superlative most head-to-head)

comparative more head-to-head · superlative most head-to-head · alternative head to head

  1. Direct, one-to-one.

    For years, Southwest sought to avoid head-to-head competition with big, traditional airlines.

    2006 July 11, Dan Reed, “At 35, Southwest's strategy gets more complicated”, in USA Today
    1 more example

    Fat Bear Week, which started in 2014, is an annual competition where brown bears from Alaska's Katmai National Park face off in head-to-head matchups -- similar to a March Madness bracket -- with people around the world voting for who they believe is the fattest of the bunch, the National Park Service said in a press release.

    2025 October 1, Megan Forrester, “2025 Fat Bear Week winner announced: See who was named 'beefiest bruin'”, in ABC News
adverbhead-to-head (not comparable)

alternative head to head

  1. not comparableFacing one another.
  2. not comparableDirectly, one-to-one.

Synonyms & antonyms

Similar
tête-à-tête

adjectiveinvolving two persons; intimately private

Similar
tete-a-teteprivate

adjectiveinconclusive as to outcome; close or just even in a race or comparison or competition

Similar
neck and necknip and tuckinconclusive

adverbeven or close in a race or competition or comparison

Similar
neck and necknip and tuck
Also see
inconclusiveneck and necknip and tucktête-à-tête

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Translations

Arabic وَجْهًا لِوَجْه
  • وَجْهًا لِوَجْه (wajhan li-wajh)head-to-head
Chinese Mandarin 面對面 /面对面, 當面 /当面
  • 面對面 /面对面 (miànduìmiàn)head-to-head
  • 當面 /当面 (dāngmiàn)head-to-head
French tête-à-tête
  • tête-à-têtehead-to-head
German tête-à-tête, unter vier Augen
  • tête-à-têtehead-to-head
  • unter vier Augenhead-to-head
Japanese 内緒の, 二人っきり
  • 内緒の (naisho-no)head-to-head
  • 二人っきり (futarikkiri)head-to-head
  • 相対の (aitai-no)head-to-head
Polish bezpośrednio
  • bezpośredniohead-to-head
Russian тет-а-те́т, с гла́зу на́ глаз
  • тет-а-те́т (tɛt-a-tɛ́t)head-to-head
  • с гла́зу на́ глаз (s glázu ná glaz)head-to-head
Spanish cabeza a cabeza
  • cabeza a cabezahead-to-head
Ukrainian віч-на́-віч, сам на́ сам
  • віч-на́-віч (vič-ná-vič)head-to-head
  • сам на́ сам (sam ná sam)head-to-head
  • тет-а-те́т (tet-a-tét)head-to-head
Cite this entry
APA

head-to-head. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/head-to-head

MLA

“head-to-head.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/head-to-head. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “head-to-head,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/head-to-head.

Source: head-to-head on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.