0 involving a direct competition between two people or teams:
a head-to-head contest
1 opposing each other in direct competition:
2 involving two people or groups that are competing directly against each other:
a head-to-head battle/clash/contest Two of the biggest characters in the retail sector were engaged in a head-to-head battle for one of the icons of British industry.
head-to-head competition
3 involving two people discussing something directly with each other, especially in order to see which person seems better:
a head-to-head confrontation/debate/meeting
4 if two or more people or companies compete, go, etc. head to head, they compete directly with each other:
Stakes are higher than ever as the major airlines go head-to-head in an industry dominated by the tightest of margins.
head-to-head with sb/sth The recent acquisition gives the store over 500,000 retail customers, putting it head-to-head with previous market leaders.
head to head against sb/sth They could find themselves head to head against Turkish suppliers.
5 a situation, meeting, programme, etc. in which two people discuss something directly with each other, especially in order to see which person seems the best:
Given the insufficient and conflicting data from head-to-head trials, these findings provide additional evidence to draw conclusions about the comparative benefits of these two antidepressants.
Only recently have head-to-head evaluations of competing drugs gained prominence.
It provides the basis for normal head-to-head movement.
Overall, then, the party model stacks up quite well in a head-to-head comparison against the ideological model.
We provide the first head-to-head comparison of electoral accountability across the world's democracies.
The results of available head-to-head trials have generally found minimal between-drug differences in efficacy.
It clearly includes, and sometimes refers solely to, head-to-head clinical trials.
High-volume surgeons assessed the clinical acceptability of that vendor's products, with no head-to-head comparisons with other vendors, and no consideration of human factors (29-31).