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

After the walkout, writers did secure groundbreaking protections for AI in contracts, but they are still confronting AI models ripping off their work without compensation.

From Los Angeles Times

His brother, who also served in the military, has come to speak to Ray about something more personal, but the hells they experienced in that conflict are the larger issue they must confront.

From Los Angeles Times

He also said that the attacker had been confronted by security at the synagogue about 15 minutes before the attack, returning at about 09:30 BST in a vehicle and driving at the building.

From BBC

“You have to confront your own feelings about motherhood, my own feelings about becoming a parent and Linda’s dreadful choices,” she says, laughing, her wry tone slipping in as it often does.

From Los Angeles Times

Dark and disturbing, “Good Boy” explores what happens when our pets are confronted with forces beyond their comprehension, and how we as humans often fail to heed our pet’s instincts.

From Salon

Related Words

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