confront

[kuhn-fruhnt]

verb (used with object)

1. to face in hostility or defiance; oppose.

   The feuding factions confronted one another.

2. to present for acknowledgment, contradiction, etc.; set face to face.

   They confronted him with evidence of his crime.

3. to face and deal with boldly or directly.

   The city refuses to confront the real reason for the housing shortage.

4. to stand or come in front of; stand or meet facing.

   The two long-separated brothers confronted each other speechlessly.

5. to be in one's way.

   the numerous obstacles that still confronted him.

6. to bring together for examination or comparison.

confront

/ kənˈfrʌnt /

verb

1. (usually foll by with) to present or face (with something), esp in order to accuse or criticize

2. to face boldly; oppose in hostility

3. to be face to face with; be in front of

4. to bring together for comparison

Other Word Forms

• confronter noun
• reconfront verb (used with object)
• unconfronted adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of confront¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of confront¹

C16: from Medieval Latin confrontārī to stand face to face with, from frons forehead

Example Sentences

In 1995, a pair of white supremacists fatally shot a Black man after confronting him outside a McDonald’s restaurant on Beach Boulevard.

From Los Angeles Times

She confronted Mr Robinson over the phone about the resemblance, Mr Gray said, but he told her he had been home sick on the day of the shooting.

From BBC

I have just confronted them with the fact that their recent decision to split up is both premature and ludicrous.

From Los Angeles Times

The document goes on to praise the "skill and courage" of Colombia's security forces in confronting criminal groups.

From BBC

As the Conservatives also approach their annual conference, they confront a moment of peril greater than any in their modern history.

From BBC

Related Words

• accost 
• defy 
• encounter 
• meet 
• oppose 
• repel 
• resist