face
/feɪs/
Reviewed on
Also a verb
Meaning
The front part of the head from the forehead to the chin, including the eyes, nose, and mouth.
Cold wind whipped across her face as soon as she stepped outside the terminal.
An expression shown by the features that reveals emotion or attitude.
He tried to keep a straight face while listening to the absurd excuse.
The front, forward-facing, or main surface of an object or building.
Climbers spent days tackling the sheer rock face on the mountain's north side.
Collocations
- wash your face
- straight face
- familiar face
- rock face
- clock face
- face mask
Synonyms
- countenance
- visage
- features
- mug
Idioms
face to face
in direct physical presence of one another
They finally met face to face after months of remote discussions.
lose face
suffer a loss of respect or prestige
The executive resigned quietly rather than lose face in front of the whole company.
save face
retain respect and avoid public embarrassment
The compromise allowed both diplomats to save face back home.
Meaning
To look or be positioned toward a particular direction or object.
All the living room windows face the ocean to maximize natural sunlight.
To confront, accept, or deal directly with an unavoidable problem or reality.
The company must face the harsh consequences of delaying the product recall.
To meet an opponent in a competition or conflict.
The defending champions will face their fierce cross-town rivals on Sunday.
How it's used
This means “be turned toward”
- faced toward the hills
“faced toward it.”
The old cabin faced toward the hills to shield it from storms.
Collocations
- face reality
- face challenges
- face charges
- face scrutiny
- face bankruptcy
- face north
Idioms
face the music
accept the unpleasant consequences of actions
He decided to face the music and confess his error to the board.
face up to
acknowledge and confront a difficult situation
She needs to face up to the fact that the debt will not vanish.