face

Pronunciation: /feɪs/

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Definition of face

noun

1the front part of a person’s head from the forehead to the chin, or the corresponding part in an animal: she was scarlet in the face and perspiring profusely
an expression shown on the face:the happy faces of these children
an aspect of something:the unacceptable face of social drinking

2the surface of a thing, especially one that is presented to the view or has a particular function, in particular:
Geometry each of the surfaces of a solid: the faces of a cube
a vertical or sloping side of a mountain or cliff:the north face of the Eiger
the side of a planet or moon facing the observer: we can often see the dark face of the moon by earthshine
the front of a building: a series of loggias make up the face of the church
the plate of a clock or watch bearing the digits or hands: a dial like the face of a clock
the distinctive side of a playing card: she scattered a deck of cards face down
the obverse of a coin.

3 [with adjective] a person of a particular type:this season’s squad has a lot of old faces in it

4short for typeface.

verb

[with object]

1be positioned with the face or front towards (someone or something):he turned to face her
[no object, with adverbial of direction] have the face or front pointing in a specified direction:the house faces due east
[no object, with adverbial of direction] (of a soldier) turn in a particular direction:the men had faced about to the front

2confront and deal with or accept:honesty forced her to face facts [no object]:he was too old to face up to the responsibilities of his position
have (a difficult situation) in prospect:each defendant faced a maximum sentence of 10 years
(of a problem or difficult situation) present itself to and require action from (someone):the difficulties facing British farming
(face someone/thing down) overcome someone or something by a show of determination:he climbed atop a tank to face down a coup

3cover the surface of (something) with a layer of a different material:the external basement walls were faced with granite slabs

Phrases

face down (or downwards): with the face or surface turned towards the ground:he lay face down on his bed
someone's face fits: British someone has the necessary qualities for something:if your face didn’t fit they could get rid of you within twelve months
face the music: be confronted with the unpleasant consequences of one’s actions: we would later have to face the music over our bold moves
the face of the earth: used for emphasis, to refer to the existence or disappearance of someone or something:he’s just disappeared off the face of the earth
face up (or upwards): with the face or surface turned upwards to view:place the panel face up before cutting
get out of someone's face: [usually as imperative] North American informal stop harassing or annoying someone: shut up and get out of my face
have the face to do something: British dated have the effrontery to do something.
in one's face: directly at or against one; as one approaches:she slammed the door in my face
in face (or the face) of: when confronted with:her resolution in the face of the enemy; despite:reform had been introduced in the face of considerable opposition
in-your-face: informal blatantly aggressive or provocative; impossible to ignore or avoid:an in-your-face advertising campaign
lose face: be humiliated or come to be less highly respected: the code of conduct required that he strike back or lose face
loss of face: humiliation: he could step aside now without loss of face
make (or pull) a face (or faces): produce a facial expression that shows dislike or some other negative emotion, or that is intended to be amusing:Anna pulled a funny face at the girl
off one's face: informal very drunk or under the influence of illegal drugs: I had a great time going out clubbing and getting off my face
on the face of it: without knowing all of the relevant facts; apparently:on the face of it, these improvements look to be insignificant
put a brave (or bold) face on something: act as if something unpleasant is not as bad as it really is:he was putting a brave face on it but she knew he was shattered
put one's face on: informal apply make-up to one’s face: Paula spent two minutes putting on her face first thing
save face: avoid humiliation: allowing the guerrillas to save face and disarm
save someone's face: enable someone to avoid humiliation: he might be pretending to help her to save his face in front of Katarina
set one's face against: resist with determination:he had set his face against the idea
throw something back in someone's face: reject something in a brusque or ungracious manner:she’d given him her trust and he’d thrown it back in her face
to one's face: openly in one’s presence:if you’ve got something to say to me, say it to my face

Phrasal Verbs

face off: chiefly North American take up an attitude of confrontation, especially at the start of a fight or game:close to a million soldiers face off in the desert

Derivatives

faced: [in combination]:red-faced

Origin:

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

face in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of face in the US English dictionary

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Other

noun

verb

Phrases

face down (or downwards)

someone's face fits

face the music

the face of the earth

face up (or upwards)

get out of someone's face

have the face to do something

in one's face

in face (or the face) of

in-your-face

lose face

loss of face

make (or pull) a face (or faces)

off one's face

on the face of it

put a brave (or bold) face on something

put one's face on

save face

save someone's face

set one's face against

throw something back in someone's face

to one's face

Phrasal Verbs

face off

Derivatives

faced

Origin:

face in other Oxford dictionaries

Reference to face in Language Resources

Nearby words

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