facepalm

American  

[feys-pahm] / ˈfeɪsˌpɑm /

Or face palm or face-palm

noun

1. the gesture of placing the palm of one's hand across the face, as to express embarrassment, frustration, disbelief, etc. (often used as an interjection): Okay, that was dumb—facepalm!

   She read the post and comments and did a facepalm.

   Okay, that was dumb—facepalm!

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verb (used without object)

1. to use this gesture to express such emotions.

Usage

What does facepalm mean? Facepalm refers to the gesture of putting one's hand up against the face, used mainly to express feelings of stupidity and frustration about oneself or others.

Etymology

Origin of facepalm

First recorded in 2000–05; face + palm ¹ ( def. 1 )

Example Sentences

Villa defender Ezri Konsa did a facepalm gesture as he and midfielder Youri Tielemans tried to contain their laughter, while PSG's Fabian Ruiz and Ousmane Dembele exchanged puzzled glances.

From BBC • Apr. 16, 2025

When Lyles’ made his “world champion of what?” comment last year, Booker responded with a facepalm emoji.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 5, 2024

His response ended with the emojis for an embarrassed face and a facepalm.

From Washington Times • Aug. 9, 2021

As for Pelosi’s comments on the matter, Noah could only facepalm.

From The Guardian • May 20, 2020

In short, the clown had plenty of motivation to copy a rival, particularly given the utter facepalm of McDonald’s Triple Breakfast Stacks.

From Washington Post • Feb. 22, 2019