face
Americannoun
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the front part of the head, from the forehead to the chin.
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a look or expression on the front part of the head.
She wore a sad face.
- Synonyms:
- mien , aspect , countenance , appearance
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a contorted expression or look that indicates ridicule, disgust, etc.; grimace.
Go to bed right now, and don't you give me that face.
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Excuse me while I go to the powder room to put on my face.
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It shocks me that you'd have the face to ask such a rude question.
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outward appearance.
These are just old problems with new faces.
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someone who represents or speaks on behalf of a company or product; spokesperson.
Steve Jobs was the face of Apple computers.
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outward show or pretense, especially as a means of preserving one's dignity or of concealing a detrimental fact, condition, etc..
Though shamed beyond words, he managed to show a bold face.
- Synonyms:
- exterior
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good reputation; standing; prestige.
They hushed up the family scandal to preserve face.
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the amount specified in a bill or note, exclusive of interest.
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the manifest sense or express terms, as of a document.
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the geographic characteristics or general appearance of a land surface.
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the surface.
the face of the earth.
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the side, or part of a side, upon which the use of a thing depends.
the clock's face;
the face of a playing card.
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the most important or most frequently seen side; front.
the face of a building.
- Synonyms:
- facade
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the outer or upper side of a fabric; right side.
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the acting, striking, or working surface of an implement, tool, etc.
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Geometry. any of the bounding surfaces of a solid figure.
A cube has six faces.
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Also called babyface. Professional Wrestling. a headlining wrestler who plays a heroic character and typically wins matches against the wrestler playing a villainous role.
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Also called working face. Mining. the front or end of a drift or excavation, where the material is being or was last mined.
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Printing.
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the working surface of a type, of a plate, etc.
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Also called typeface. Also called typestyle. any design of type, including a full range of characters, as letters, numbers, and marks of punctuation, in all sizes.
Garamond is one of the most popular faces.
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Also called typeface,. Also called typestyle. the general style or appearance of type.
broad or narrow face.
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Nautical, Aeronautics. the rear or after side of a propeller blade (back ).
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Fortification. either of the two outer sides that form the salient angle of a bastion or the like.
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Crystallography. any of the plane surfaces of a crystal.
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Electronics. faceplate.
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Archaic. sight; presence.
to flee from the face of the enemy.
verb (used with object)
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to look toward or in the direction of.
When speaking, remember to face the light.
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to have the front toward or permit a view of.
The building faces Fifth Avenue.
The bedroom faces the park.
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to confront directly.
to be faced with a problem;
to face the future confidently.
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to confront courageously, boldly, or impudently (usually followed by down orout ).
He could always face down his detractors.
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to oppose or to meet defiantly.
We face fearful odds in this battle.
Army faces Navy in today's football game.
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to cover or partly cover with a different material in front.
They faced the old wooden house with brick.
- Synonyms:
- veneer
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to finish the edge of a garment with facing, a piece of fabric added for ornament or strengthening.
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to turn the front of (a playing card) upward.
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to dress or smooth the surface of (a stone or the like).
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to cause (soldiers) to turn to the right, left, or in the opposite direction.
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Ice Hockey. (of a referee) to put (the puck) in play by dropping it between two opposing players each having a stick on the ice and facing the goal of the opponent.
verb (used without object)
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to turn or be turned (often followed by to ortoward ).
She faced toward the sea.
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to be placed with the front in a certain direction (often followed by on, to, ortoward ).
The house faces on the street.
The barn faces south.
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to turn to the right, left, or in the opposite direction.
Left face!
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Ice Hockey. to face the puck; put the puck in play (often followed byoff ).
verb phrase
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face up to
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face off
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to confront, fight, or compete against each other as opponents.
The presidential nominees will face off at the debates tomorrow night.
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Ice Hockey. to start a game or period by dropping the puck into play between two opposing players.
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face down to confront boldly or intimidate (an opponent, critic, etc.).
idioms
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in someone’s face,
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in a confrontational way that shows annoyance or contempt.
When I asked for money, he just laughed in my face.
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Informal. confrontational toward someone, as by criticizing or annoying persistently.
My dad got in my face about my bad grades.
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in the face of,
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in spite of; notwithstanding.
She persevered in the face of many obstacles.
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when confronted with.
They were steadfast in the face of disaster.
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on the face of it, to outward appearances; superficially; seemingly.
On the face of it, there was no hope for a comeback.
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face to face with, in close proximity to; narrowly escaping; confronting.
face to face with death.
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show one's face, to make an appearance; be seen.
I would be ashamed to show my face in such an outlandish outfit.
Just show your face at the party and then you can leave.
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face the music. music.
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lose face, to suffer disgrace, humiliation, or embarrassment.
It was impossible to apologize publicly without losing face.
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set one's face against, to disapprove strongly of; oppose.
My dad has set his face against my becoming an actress.
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get out of someone's face, to go away and stop annoying or badgering someone (usually used imperatively); leave someone in peace.
Get out of my face, I'm busy here!
I know I have to pay up, I just wish they'd get out of my face about it.
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in your face, in your face.
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to one's face, in one's presence; brazenly; directly.
Tell him to his face that he's a liar!
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save face, to avoid disgrace, humiliation, or embarrassment.
She tried to save face by saying that the bill had never arrived.
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make a face, to grimace, as in distaste or contempt; contort one's face in order to convey a feeling or to amuse another.
She made a face when she was told the work wasn't finished.
The children made me laugh by making faces.
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put on a bold face, to give the appearance of confidence or assurance: Also put a bold face on
Everyone knew that he had been fired, even though he put on a bold face.
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fly in the face of. fly.
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face to face,
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facing or opposite one another.
We sat face to face at the table.
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in an open, personal meeting or confrontation.
The leaders spoke face to face about a reduction in nuclear arms.
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noun
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the front of the head from the forehead to the lower jaw; visage
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( as modifier )
face flannel
face cream
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the expression of the countenance; look
a sad face
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a distorted expression, esp to indicate disgust; grimace
she made a face
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informal make-up (esp in the phrase put one's face on )
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outward appearance
the face of the countryside is changing
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appearance or pretence (esp in the phrases put a bold, good, bad, etc, face on )
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worth in the eyes of others; dignity (esp in the phrases lose or save face )
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informal impudence or effrontery
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the main side of an object, building, etc, or the front
the face of a palace
a cliff face
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the marked surface of an instrument, esp the dial of a timepiece
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the functional or working side of an object, as of a tool or playing card
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the exposed area of a mine from which coal, ore, etc, may be mined
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( as modifier )
face worker
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the uppermost part or surface
the face of the earth
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Also called: side. any one of the plane surfaces of a crystal or other solid figure
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mountaineering a steep side of a mountain, bounded by ridges
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either of the surfaces of a coin, esp the one that bears the head of a ruler
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slang a well-known or important person
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Also called: typeface. printing
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the printing surface of any type character
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the style, the design, or sometimes the size of any type fount
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the print made from type
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nautical aeronautics the aft or near side of a propeller blade
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to act in defiance of
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directly opposite or against one
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despite
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to look directly at a person without fear or shame
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to all appearances
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to oppose with determination
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to make an appearance
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slang (often imperative) to be silent
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in someone's presence; directly and openly
I told him the truth to his face
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informal to the utmost degree; indefinitely
verb
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to look or be situated or placed (in a specified direction)
the house faces on the square
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to be opposite
facing page 9
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(tr) to meet or be confronted by
in his work he faces many problems
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(tr) to accept or deal with something
let's face it, you're finished
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(tr) to provide with a surface of a different material
the cuffs were faced with velvet
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to dress the surface of (stone or other material)
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(tr) to expose (a card) with the face uppermost
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military to order (a formation) to turn in a certain direction or (of a formation) to turn as required
right face!
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ice hockey
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(of the referee) to drop (the puck) between two opposing players, as when starting or restarting play See also face-off
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to start or restart play in this manner
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informal to confront the consequences of one's actions
abbreviation
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012-
A plane surface of a geometric solid. A cube has 6 faces; a dodecahedron, 12.
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Any of the surfaces of a rock or crystal.
Usage
What is a basic definition of face? Face refers to the front of the head, from the top of the forehead to the bottom of the chin. Face also refers to an expression that someone makes using their face. Face is also used as a verb to mean to confront something directly. Face has a large number of other senses as a noun and a verb.Your face consists of your forehead, eyebrows, eyes, eyelashes, nose, cheeks, mouth, lips, chin, and any facial hair, freckles, or other marks on the front of your head. Your ears may or may not be considered part of your face.The word face usually refers to a human head, but it’s also used to describe the front of the head of animals that have features similar to a human face, such as cats and apes.
- Real-life examples: You have a face. Halloween masks often resemble ugly or scary faces. Clowns like to throw pies at people’s faces.
- Used in a sentence: The actor could see many familiar faces in the audience.
- Real-life examples: Parents make funny faces to make their children laugh. A smiling person has a happy face. Horror movies cause many people to make a scared face.
- Used in a sentence: Gretchen puts on a happy face even when she feels sad.
- Real-life examples: People are often faced with problems and obstacles they must solve. Experts often tell people to face the facts and not ignore or deny them.
- Used in a sentence: Roger had to face the harsh reality that his girlfriend had left him.
Related Words
Face, countenance, visage refer to the front of the (usually human) head. The face is the combination of the features: a face with broad cheekbones. Countenance, a more formal word, denotes the face as it is affected by or reveals the state of mind, and hence often signifies the look or expression on the face: a thoughtful countenance. Visage, still more formal, refers to the face as seen in a certain aspect, especially as revealing seriousness or severity: a stern visage.
Other Word Forms
- faceable adjective
- subface noun
- underface noun
- unfaceable adjective
Etymology
Origin of face
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English noun face, fas, from Anglo-French, Old French, from unattested Vulgar Latin facia, for Latin faciēs “appearance” ( facies ); verb derivative of the noun
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Like the British troops who readily acknowledged the “pluck” of the Dervishes, Mr. Hart is impressed by their willingness to face the massed firepower of rifles, machine guns and artillery.
As we approached the broad face of the 1930s federal building that had served as Carville’s hospital, I tried to catch my father’s eye, but I couldn’t read his face.
From Salon
There are six months of the season left to play but, let's face it, they've had it.
From BBC
There was no doubt that his Red Bull wasn’t as quick as the otherwise dominant McLaren, but McLaren’s was facing an issue more tactical than mechanical.
While growth has been robust, Cursor has faced high costs for computing firepower and AI model access operated by OpenAI, Anthropic, Google and others.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
