Meaning of face in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Verb
    1. Definitions
  3. Noun
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions

  1. Pronunciation

    /feɪs/

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  1. Verb

    face

    Definitions

    1. deal with (something unpleasant) head on

    Examples

    • « You must confront your problems »
    • « He faced the terrible consequences of his mistakes »

    Antonyms

    Derived terms

  2. 2. oppose, as in hostility or a competition

    Examples

    • « You must confront your opponent »
    • « Jackson faced Smith in the boxing ring »
    • « The two enemies finally confronted each other »

    Derived terms

  3. 3. be oriented in a certain direction, often with respect to another reference point

    Examples

    • « be opposite to »
    • « The house looks north »
    • « My backyard look onto the pond »
    • « The building faces the park »

    Antonyms

    Derived terms

  4. 4. be opposite

    Examples

    • « the facing page »
    • « the two sofas face each other »
  5. 5. turn so as to face

    Examples

    • « turn the face in a certain direction »
    • « Turn and face your partner now »
  6. 6. present somebody with something, usually to accuse or criticize

    Examples

    • « We confronted him with the evidence »
    • « He was faced with all the evidence and could no longer deny his actions »
    • « An enormous dilemma faces us »

    Derived terms

  7. 7. turn so as to expose the face

    Examples

    • « face a playing card »

    Derived terms

  8. 8. line the edge (of a garment) with a different material

    Examples

    • « face the lapels of the jacket »

    Derived terms

  9. 9. cover the front or surface of

    Examples

    • « The building was faced with beautiful stones »

    Derived terms

  10. Noun

    face

    Etymology

    Middle English: from Old French, based on Latin facies‘form, appearance, face’

    Definitions

    1. the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

    Examples

    • « he washed his face »
    • « I wish I had seen the look on his face when he got the news »
  11. 2. the expression on a person's face

    Examples

    • « a sad expression »
    • « a look of triumph »
    • « an angry face »

    Derived terms

  12. 3. the general outward appearance of something

    Examples

    • « the face of the city is changing »
  13. 4. the act of confronting bravely

    Examples

    • « he hated facing the facts »
    • « he excelled in the face of danger »

    Derived terms

  14. 5. the striking or working surface of an implement
  15. 6. a part of a person that is used to refer to a person

    Examples

    • « he looked out at a roomful of faces »
    • « when he returned to work he met many new faces »
  16. 7. a surface forming part of the outside of an object

    Examples

    • « he examined all sides of the crystal »
    • « dew dripped from the face of the leaf »
  17. 8. the part of an animal corresponding to the human face
  18. 9. the side upon which the use of a thing depends (usually the most prominent surface of an object)

    Examples

    • « he dealt the cards face down »
  19. 10. a contorted facial expression

    Examples

    • « she made a grimace at the prospect »

    Derived terms

  20. 11. a specific size and style of type within a type family
  21. 12. status in the eyes of others

    Examples

    • « he lost face »
  22. 13. impudent aggressiveness

    Examples

    • « I couldn't believe her boldness »
    • « he had the effrontery to question my honesty »

    Derived terms

  23. 14. a vertical surface of a building or cliff

Famous quotes

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  • « Human beings want to be free and however long they may agree to stay locked up, to stay oppressed, there will come a time when they say 'That's it.' Suddenly they find themselves doing something that they never would have thought they would be doing, simply because of the human instinct that makes them turn their face towards freedom. »
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    Henry Fielding
  • « Easter is reflecting upon suffering for one thing, but it also reflects upon Jesus and his non compliance in the face of great authority where he holds to his truth - so there's two stories there. »
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  • « Power never takes a back step only in the face of more power. »
    Malcolm X

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