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.
When she confronted Ted about his actions, he claimed the “original plan fell through,” but they should “just enjoy ourselves.”
From Los Angeles Times
Unions can confront workers during breaks, before or after work, and even at home in front of their families.
Congress in 2024, he laid out a vision for the Middle East based on lessons from the West after World War II, when America established a security alliance in Europe to confront the Soviet threat.
The soldiers around us all stood up to confront the Confederates as they charged up the hill.
From Literature
But in confronting that uncertainty, Kocher said it is important to respond to outcomes, rather than possibilities.
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.
