face up to

verb

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

Idioms and Phrases

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

If convicted, Cherfilus-McCormick could face up to 53 years in prison.

Read more on Salon

Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz face up to 65 years in prison if convicted on all charges, according to the Eastern District of New York.

Read more on MarketWatch

None of the defendants had wanted to face up to the danger that had been there for years, according to prosecutor Borche Janev.

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If convicted on all charges, the pitchers face up to 65 years in prison.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Rather than face up to that embarrassing failure, the president now spins a conspiracy theory that absolves him of responsibility.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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