confrontation
/ˌkɒnfrʌnˈteɪʃn
/noun
1A hostile or argumentative situation or meeting between opposing parties: a confrontation with the legislature [mass noun]: four months of violent confrontation between government and opposition forces...
- People are coming here to have a violent confrontation with the police.
- This new workers' organisation was forced into violent confrontation with the state.
- He could then, very easily, make the confrontation with the Centre an issue and go back to the people.
Synonyms
conflict, clash, brush, fight, battle, contest, encounter, head-to-head, face-off, engagement, tangle, skirmish, collision, meeting, duel, incident, high noon;
hostilities, fighting, warring
informal set-to, run-in, dust-up, shindig, shindy, showdown
British informal, Football afters
archaic rencounter
1.1A situation where two players or sides compete to win a sporting contest: the race promised a classic confrontation between the two top runners in the world...
- In between are stern confrontations with the scratch side Rugby Canada, Canadas East and West and United States A.
- Such a pressure confrontation for a young player in his first season in England might be full of concerns.
- That day, the South Africans betrayed the glorious history of one of sport's classic confrontations.