lose face

Idioms  

1. Be embarrassed or humiliated, especially publicly. For example, Terry lost face when his assistant was promoted and became his boss. Both this expression and the underlying concept come from Asia; the term itself is a translation of the Chinese tiu lien and has been used in English since the late 1800s. Also see save face.

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

lose face

After arguing for years that Hungary cannot survive without Russian oil and gas, he would lose face if it turns out it can.

From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2025

"What advantage is there to making someone lose face, unless that is your objective."

From Reuters ● Jul. 24, 2023

“Where does he find a way out? Where does he find himself where he does not only lose face but significant power?”

From New York Times ● Oct. 7, 2022

“I think North Korea will declare a victory over the pandemic a bit later. It would lose face if it proclaimed victory too soon and new patients cropped up afterwards,” Nam said.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 20, 2022

In order for us to begin talks, they said, the ANC must make some compromise so that the government would not lose face with its own people.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela