face down
Britishverb
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With the upper surface put down, as in Please put these papers face down . This usage appears to come from cardplaying. [First half of 1600s] The antonym, “with the upper surface uppermost,” is face up .
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Overcome, intimidate, or browbeat someone in a bold confrontation. This verbal expression dates from the 16th century. Shakespeare used it in The Comedy of Errors (3:1): “Here's a villain that would face me down.”
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.
He also announced his intention to allow Ukraine to produce anti-aircraft Patriot missiles, which are badly needed to face down Russian attacks.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
The video also shows other men lying face down -- presumably two workers -- and a relative who worked with them.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
The family of the 18-month-old frantically called police after they found him face down in the pool at a home in the Phoenix-area suburb of Gilbert on 8 February.
From BBC ● Jul. 8, 2026
What Bagehot actually said was that a central bank must face down a panic by lending freely at a high rate of interest to solvent banks against good collateral.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
In her hurry, she slipped and fell face down in the snow.
From "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls
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.
