face down

British  

verb

1. to confront and force (someone or something) to back down

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face down Idioms  

1. With the upper surface put down, as in Please put these papers face down . This usage appears to come from cardplaying. [First half of 1600s] The antonym, “with the upper surface uppermost,” is face up .

2. Overcome, intimidate, or browbeat someone in a bold confrontation. This verbal expression dates from the 16th century. Shakespeare used it in The Comedy of Errors (3:1): “Here's a villain that would face me down.”

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Example Sentences

Afterwards, Gandhi presided over waves of civil disobedience protests, encouraging supporters of the Indian National Congress to manufacture contraband salt, boycott foreign goods, and face down phalanxes of lathi-wielding policemen.

From BBC

Ben Gvir on Friday posted a video of himself standing over a row of Palestinian prisoners lying face down on the ground with their hands tied, in which he called for capital punishment.

From Barron's

The Palos Verdes Estates Police Department received a call from a person who saw a man lying face down at the base of the cliff close to the 1400 block of Paseo Del Mar around 12:19 p.m.

From Los Angeles Times

At the workplace software company UKG, Bob DelPonte has asked colleagues in his team meetings to at least put their phones face down.

From The Wall Street Journal

Joseph Nocella of Brooklyn said at a news conference that the defendants used “special contact lenses or eyeglasses that could read pre-marked cards” and tables that “could read cards face down on the table ... because of the X-ray technology.”

From Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• argue
• assail
• attack
• debate
• defy
• deny
• disagree
• dispute
• face
• fight
• prevent
• protest
• resist