confront
Americanverb (used with object)
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to face in hostility or defiance; oppose.
The feuding factions confronted one another.
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to present for acknowledgment, contradiction, etc.; set face to face.
They confronted him with evidence of his crime.
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to face and deal with boldly or directly.
The city refuses to confront the real reason for the housing shortage.
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to stand or come in front of; stand or meet facing.
The two long-separated brothers confronted each other speechlessly.
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to be in one's way.
the numerous obstacles that still confronted him.
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to bring together for examination or comparison.
verb
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(usually foll by with) to present or face (with something), esp in order to accuse or criticize
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to face boldly; oppose in hostility
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to be face to face with; be in front of
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to bring together for comparison
Other Word Forms
- confronter noun
- reconfront verb (used with object)
- unconfronted adjective
Etymology
Origin of confront
First recorded in 1595–1605; from Medieval Latin confrontārī, equivalent to Latin con-, variant of intensive prefix com- + -frontārī, derivative of Latin frōns (stem front- ) “forehead”; con-, front
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.
Her kids are older, so everything changes and she’s not able to work her ass off the way she used to and she has to confront that.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 31, 2026
It’s a reality that I was forced to confront after my household income took a serious hit.
From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026
I agree with French philosopher Etienne Balibar, who cautioned that to confront violence with more violence becomes a death trap for the left.
From Salon • Mar. 28, 2026
Teffera added that nations who took part in the slave trade were still reluctant to confront their history and that a proper reckoning is a crucial part of restorative justice.
From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026
That was the Adams pattern: first to deny his political ambitions, much like Jefferson; then to confront them, feel guilty about them, fidget over them; then grudgingly admit they were part of who he was.
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
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.
