face down
Britishverb
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With the upper surface put down, as in Please put these papers face down . This usage appears to come from cardplaying. [First half of 1600s] The antonym, “with the upper surface uppermost,” is face up .
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Overcome, intimidate, or browbeat someone in a bold confrontation. This verbal expression dates from the 16th century. Shakespeare used it in The Comedy of Errors (3:1): “Here's a villain that would face me down.”
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He also announced his intention to allow Ukraine to produce anti-aircraft Patriot missiles, which are badly needed to face down Russian attacks.
From Barron's ● Jul. 28, 2026
"I helped sort of shoo him onto the boat, because he was face down too... but the seven-year-old was not in a good way," said Bowe, who was helped by an unnamed man.
From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026
The video also shows other men lying face down -- presumably two workers -- and a relative who worked with them.
From Barron's ● Jul. 9, 2026
What Bagehot actually said was that a central bank must face down a panic by lending freely at a high rate of interest to solvent banks against good collateral.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 29, 2026
She toppled over and fell and lay face down and unmoving.
From "Half of a Yellow Sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
