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.

Under Ghana's Cybersecurity Act 2020, anyone who publishes explicit images of children or adults without full consent can face up to 25 years in prison.

From BBC

The defendants face up to 30 years in prison if convicted.

From Los Angeles Times

Puig, 35, could face up to 20 years in prison.

From Los Angeles Times

If found guilty, the man may face up to life in prison for treason.

From The Wall Street Journal

If convicted, Soofer could face up to 20 years in federal prison and as many as 17 years in state lockup, officials said.

From Los Angeles Times

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.