facedown

American  

[feys-doun, feys-doun] / ˈfeɪsˈdaʊn, ˈfeɪsˌdaʊn /

adverb

1. with the face or the front or upper surface downward.

   He was lying facedown on the floor. Deal the cards facedown on the table.

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noun

1. Informal. Also face-down a direct confrontation; showdown.

Etymology

Origin of facedown

1930–35; facedown ( def. 1 ) face + down ¹; facedown ( def. 2 ) noun use of verb phrase face down

Example Sentences

“Minutes later, I returned and found him facedown in the pillow,” Tom later wrote.

From Slate • May 2, 2024

The 31-minute video, which has sound in only some portions, shows officers turning Jackson facedown and putting him in handcuffs before helping him to his feet.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 14, 2023

Body paint and lying facedown for an hour: what it was like being Margo Robbie’s body double for “Barbie.”

From New York Times • Jun. 24, 2023

And as the final seconds ticked away, his teammates obliged, surrounding the sophomore standout as he lay facedown on the court.

From Washington Post • Mar. 9, 2023

More than twenty people lay facedown in the earth.

From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah