facade

American  

[fuh-sahd, fa-] / fəˈsɑd, fæ- /

Or façade

noun

1. Architecture.

   1. the front of a building, especially an imposing or decorative one.

   2. any side of a building facing a public way or space and finished accordingly.

2. a superficial appearance or illusion of something.

   They managed somehow to maintain a facade of wealth.

---

façade British  

/ fəˈsɑːd, fæ- /

noun

1. the face of a building, esp the main front

2. a front or outer appearance, esp a deceptive one

---

Usage

What does facade mean? A facade is the front of a building or a side that faces a public area.Facade is used literally to describe a decorative, showy, or onrate piece of architecture that frames the front of a building, as in The architect who designed this building used a showy facade on it to help it stand out from nearby buildings.A facade is also a superficial appearance or an illusion, which can be literal or figurative. If a movie star wears a dark hoodie and sunglasses so they won’t be recognized by the press, they are wearing a literal facade. If that movie star acts completely different from who they actually are or puts on an alternate personality in order to trick or convince people of something, that is a figurative facade.Example: He continually lied to keep up his facade until the whole thing stumbled out of control.

Etymology

Origin of facade

First recorded in 1650–60; from French, from Upper Italian faciada, Italian facciata, equivalent to facci(a) face + -ata -ade ¹

Example Sentences

Debris from an intercepted drone resulted in a "minor fire" on the outer facade of the five-star Burj Al Arab hotel, authorities have said.

From BBC

The building with a red-brick facade and bright green letters anchors a small shopping center in the suburban area.

From The Wall Street Journal

Authorities also confirmed debris from an intercepted drone had caused a "minor fire" on the outer facade of the five-star Burj Al Arab hotel.

From BBC

"Authorities confirm that a drone was intercepted and debris caused a minor fire on the Burj Al Arab's outer facade," the Dubai Media Office wrote on X.

From Barron's

When AFP visited this week, workers were putting the finishing touches to the renovated facade.

From Barron's