Dictionary.com

Popular Searches

 Thesaurus.com
Synonyms

face up to

British  

verb

  1. to accept (an unpleasant fact, reality, etc)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
face up to Idioms  

  1. Also, face it. Confront or accept an unpleasant or difficult situation. For example, Jane had to face up to the possibility of being fired, or Face it—you were wrong. [Late 1700s] Also see face the music.

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.

Kequn and Mwangi, who pleaded not guilty, are being prosecuted for wildlife trafficking without a permit and conspiracy, and face up to seven years in prison, according to their lawyer.

From Barron's

She had tried, and I had tried, to save me from everything I didn’t want, but mostly I’d been ignoring anything I wasn’t willing to face up to.

From Literature

But now I had to face up to what I had done.

From Literature

Marset could face up to 20 years in prison if convicted of money laundering conspiracy.

From Barron's

Under new legislation, people caught transporting and dealing with waste illegally will face up to five years in prison.

From BBC

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.