in your face

[in yoor feys]

idiom

Informal.

1. Also in-your-face

   1. seeming to express or invite confrontation; defiant, militant, or provocative.

      His political commentary is always in your face.

      Something drives him to break every rule, and to do it with a deep-down, in-your-face belligerence.

   2. displayed or advertised flagrantly, obtrusively, or forcefully.

      Everywhere you go, alcohol is in your face.

   3. (of a color, flavor, or the like) strong or vivid; bold rather than subtle.

      The brew has a huge, in-your-face hop flavor, but very little bitterness.

2. in a provocative, flagrant, or bold way.

   They’re so brazen—they do their cheating in your face, daring you to do something about it.

3. (used as an exclamation to tease someone or flaunt something in a confrontational way).

   In your face, Cougars—we won!

in-your-face

adjective

1. slang,  aggressive and confrontational

   provocative in-your-face activism

Word History and Origins

Origin of in your face¹

First recorded in 1985–90

Idioms and Phrases

Defiantly confrontational; also, an exclamation of contempt. For example, This show is not suitable for youngsters; its attitude about sex is in your face, or In your face, mister! This slangy expression originated in the 1970s in basketball as a phrase of contempt used against the opposing team and was extended to other areas by the mid-1980s.

Example Sentences

If you’re a veteran like Messrs. Retes or Oliva, you get a shrug and a courthouse door slammed in your face.

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“You’d get all that heat out of the basement coming up, blowing in your face.”

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That weird Strawberry Shortcake doll that would burp its signature scent in your face when you squeezed its stomach.

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“You guys grew up in a country where some of the weirdest perversions were shoved in your face from the time you were young—in school, on TV, everywhere.”

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“Same b***h that wanna smile in your face be the same b***h that gonna come for you later,” Zola gleefully tells Stefani during their first club outing together, the only good one they’ll have.

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