face (f s)n.1. a. The surface of the front of the head from the top of the forehead to the base of the chin and from ear to ear. b. A person: We saw many new faces on the first day of classes. 2. A person's countenance: a happy face. 3. A contorted facial expression; a grimace: made a face at the prospect of eating lemons. 4. Facial cosmetics: put one's face on. 5. Outward appearance: the modern face of the city. 6. a. Value or standing in the eyes of others; prestige: lose face. b. Self-assurance; confidence: The team managed to maintain a firm face even in times of great adversity. 7. Effrontery; impudence: had the face to question my judgment. 8. The most significant or prominent surface of an object, especially: a. The surface presented to view; the front. b. A façade. c. Outer surface: the face of the earth. d. A marked side: the face of a clock; the face of a playing card. e. The right side, as of fabric. f. An exposed, often precipitous surface of rock. 9. A planar surface of a geometric solid. 10. Any of the surfaces of a rock or crystal. 11. The end, as of a mine or tunnel, at which work is advancing. 12. The appearance and geologic surface features of an area of land; topography. 13. Printing a. A typeface or range of typefaces. b. The raised printing surface of a piece of type. v. faced, fac·ing, fac·es v.tr.1. To occupy a position with the face toward: stood and faced the audience. 2. To front on: a window that faces the south. 3. a. To confront with complete awareness: had to face the facts. b. To overcome by confronting boldly or bravely: "What this generation must do is face its problems" John F. Kennedy. c. To confront with impudence. See Synonyms at defy. 4. a. To be certain to encounter; have in store: An unskilled youth faces a difficult life. b. To bring or to be brought face to face with: "The prospect of military conflict . . . faced us with nightmarish choices" Henry A. Kissinger. 5. To cause (troops) to change direction by giving a command. 6. Games To turn (a playing card) so that the face is up. 7. To furnish with a surface or cover of a different material: bronze that is faced with gold foil. 8. To line or trim the edge of, especially with contrasting material: face a hem with lace. 9. To treat the surface of so as to smooth. v.intr.1. To be turned or placed with the front toward a specified direction. 2. To turn the face in a specified direction. Phrasal Verbs: face down To attain mastery over or overcome by confronting in a resolute, determined manner: face down an opponent in a debate; faced the enemy down. face off Sports To start play in ice hockey, lacrosse, and other games by releasing the puck or ball between two opposing players. face up To confront an unpleasant situation with resolution and assurance: had to face up or get out; finally faced up to the problem. Idioms: face the music To accept the unpleasant consequences, especially of one's own actions. in the face/teeth of In opposition to or defiance of. on the face of it From appearances alone; apparently: On the face of it, the problem seems minor. show (one's) face To make an appearance: Don't show your face on my property again. to (one's) face In the view or hearing of: insulted me to my face.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *facia, from Latin faci s; see dh- in Indo-European roots.]
face a·ble adj. |
face Noun 1. the front of the head from the forehead to the lower jaw 2. a. one's expression: as his eyes met hers his face sobered b. a distorted expression to show disgust or defiance: she was pulling a face at him 3. the front or main side of an object, building, etc. 4. the surface of a clock or watch that has the numbers or hands on it 5. the functional side of an object, such as a tool or playing card 6. the exposed area of a mine from which coal or metal can be mined 7. Brit slang a well-known or important person 8. in the face of in spite of: a determined character in the face of adversity 9. lose face to lose one's credibility 10. on the face of it to all appearances 11. put a good or brave face on to maintain a cheerful appearance despite misfortune 12. save face to keep one's good reputation 13. set one's face against to oppose with determination 14. to someone's face directly and openly Verb [facing, faced] 1. to look towards 2. to be opposite 3. to be confronted by: they were faced with the prospect of high inflation 4. to provide with a surface of a different material
face (fs)1. A plane surface of a geometric solid. A cube has 6 faces; a dodecahedron, 12. 2. Any of the surfaces of a rock or crystal. |
ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms | Noun | 1. |  face - the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear; "he washed his face"; "I wish I had seen the look on his face when he got the news"human, human being, homo, man - any living or extinct member of the family Hominidae characterized by superior intelligence, articulate speech, and erect carriage mouth - the externally visible part of the oral cavity on the face and the system of organs surrounding the opening; "she wiped lipstick from her mouth" head, caput - the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains; "he stuck his head out the window" nose, olfactory organ - the organ of smell and entrance to the respiratory tract; the prominent part of the face of man or other mammals; "he has a cold in the nose" chin, mentum - the protruding part of the lower jaw feature, lineament - the characteristic parts of a person's face: eyes and nose and mouth and chin; "an expression of pleasure crossed his features"; "his lineaments were very regular" cheek - either side of the face below the eyes jowl - a fullness and looseness of the flesh of the lower cheek and jaw (characteristic of aging) jaw - the bones of the skull that frame the mouth and serve to open it; the bones that hold the teeth | | 2. |  face - the feelings expressed on a person's face; "a sad expression"; "a look of triumph"; "an angry face"countenance, visage - the appearance conveyed by a person's face; "a pleasant countenance"; "a stern visage" leer - a suggestive or sneering look or grin sparkle, twinkle, spark, light - merriment expressed by a brightness or gleam or animation of countenance; "he had a sparkle in his eye"; "there's a perpetual twinkle in his eyes" | | 3. | face - the general outward appearance of something; "the face of the city is changing" | | 4. | face - the striking or working surface of an implementhead - the striking part of a tool; "the head of the hammer" racquet, racket - a sports implement (usually consisting of a handle and an oval frame with a tightly interlaced network of strings) used to strike a ball (or shuttlecock) in various games surface - the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary; "there is a special cleaner for these surfaces"; "the cloth had a pattern of red dots on a white surface" | | 5. |  face - a part of a person that is used to refer to a person; "he looked out at a roomful of faces"; "when he returned to work he met many new faces"synecdoche - substituting a more inclusive term for a less inclusive one or vice versa | | 6. | face - a surface forming part of the outside of an object; "he examined all sides of the crystal"; "dew dripped from the face of the leaf"beam-ends - (nautical) at the ends of the transverse deck beams of a vessel; "on her beam-ends" means heeled over on the side so that the deck is almost vertical windward - the side of something that is toward the wind back end, backside, rear - the side of an object that is opposite its front; "his room was toward the rear of the hotel" surface - the extended two-dimensional outer boundary of a three-dimensional object; "they skimmed over the surface of the water"; "a brush small enough to clean every dental surface"; "the sun has no distinct surface" top side, upper side, upside, top - the highest or uppermost side of anything; "put your books on top of the desk"; "only the top side of the box was painted" | | 7. | face - the part of an animal corresponding to the human facemuzzle - forward projecting part of the head of certain animals; includes the jaws and nose | | 8. | face - the side upon which the use of a thing depends (usually the most prominent surface of an object); "he dealt the cards face down"dial - the face of a timepiece; graduated to show the hours front - the side that is seen or that goes first playing card - one of a pack of cards that are used to play card games | | 9. |  face - a contorted facial expression; "she made a grimace at the prospect" | | 10. |  face - a specific size and style of type within a type familytype - printed characters; "small type is hard to read" type family - a complete set of type suitable for printing text italic - a typeface with letters slanting upward to the right raster font, screen font - the font that is displayed on a computer screen; "when the screen font resembles a printed font a document may look approximately the same on the screen as it will when printed" | | 11. |  face - status in the eyes of others; "he lost face"status, position - the relative position or standing of things or especially persons in a society; "he had the status of a minor"; "the novel attained the status of a classic"; "atheists do not enjoy a favorable position in American life" | | 12. | face - impudent aggressiveness; "I couldn't believe her boldness"; "he had the effrontery to question my honesty"audaciousness, audacity - aggressive boldness or unmitigated effrontery; "he had the audacity to question my decision" | | 13. | face - a vertical surface of a building or cliffcoalface - the part of a coal seam that is being cut | | Verb | 1. | face - deal with (something unpleasant) head on; "You must confront your problems"; "He faced the terrible consequences of his mistakes"confront, face, present - present somebody with something, usually to accuse or criticize; "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" go about, set about, approach - begin to deal with; "approach a task"; "go about a difficult problem"; "approach a new project" | | 2. | face - oppose, as in hostility or a competition; "You must confront your opponent"; "Jackson faced Smith in the boxing ring"; "The two enemies finally confronted each other"encounter, take on, meet, play - contend against an opponent in a sport, game, or battle; "Princeton plays Yale this weekend"; "Charlie likes to play Mary" pit, play off, oppose, match - set into opposition or rivalry; "let them match their best athletes against ours"; "pit a chess player against the Russian champion"; "He plays his two children off against each other" | | 3. | face - be oriented in a certain direction, often with respect to another reference point; be opposite to; "The house looks north"; "My backyard look onto the pond"; "The building faces the park"lie - be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position face - be opposite; "the facing page"; "the two sofas face each other" confront - be face to face with; "The child screamed when he confronted the man in the Halloween costume" | | 4. | face - be opposite; "the facing page"; "the two sofas face each other"be - occupy a certain position or area; be somewhere; "Where is my umbrella?" "The toolshed is in the back"; "What is behind this behavior?" front, face, look - be oriented in a certain direction, often with respect to another reference point; be opposite to; "The house looks north"; "My backyard look onto the pond"; "The building faces the park" | | 5. | face - turn so as to face; turn the face in a certain direction; "Turn and face your partner now"turn - change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense; "Turn towards me"; "The mugger turned and fled before I could see his face"; "She turned from herself and learned to listen to others' needs" face - turn so as to expose the face; "face a playing card" | | 6. | face - present somebody with something, usually to accuse or criticize; "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"face, face up, confront - deal with (something unpleasant) head on; "You must confront your problems"; "He faced the terrible consequences of his mistakes" | | 7. | face - turn so as to expose the face; "face a playing card"face - turn so as to face; turn the face in a certain direction; "Turn and face your partner now" disclose, expose - disclose to view as by removing a cover; "The curtain rose to disclose a stunning set" | | 8. | face - line the edge (of a garment) with a different material; "face the lapels of the jacket"line - cover the interior of; "line the gloves"; "line a chimney" face - cover the front or surface of; "The building was faced with beautiful stones" reface - put a new facing on (a garment) | | 9. | face - cover the front or surface of; "The building was faced with beautiful stones"revet - face with a layer of stone or concrete or other supporting material so as to retain; "face an embankment" reface - provide with a new facing; "The building was refaced with beautiful stones" face - line the edge (of a garment) with a different material; "face the lapels of the jacket" cover - provide with a covering or cause to be covered; "cover her face with a handkerchief"; "cover the child with a blanket"; "cover the grave with flowers" |
face noun 3. side, front, cover, outside, surface, aspect, exterior, right side, elevation, facet, vertical surface noun 4. ( Informal) impudence, front, confidence, audacity, nerve, neck ( informal) sauce ( informal) cheek ( informal) assurance, gall ( informal) presumption, boldness, chutzpah U.S., Canad. ( informal) sass U.S., Canad. ( informal) effrontery, brass neck Brit. ( informal) sassiness U.S. ( informal) verb 5. (often with to, towards, or on) look onto, overlook, be opposite, look out on, front onto, give towards or onto verb 6. confront, meet, encounter, deal with, oppose, tackle, cope with, experience, brave, defy, come up against, be confronted by, face off ( slang) make or pull a face at someone scowl, frown, pout, grimace, smirk, moue ( French) on the face of it to all appearances, apparently, seemingly, outwardly, at first sight, at face value, to the eye show your face turn up, come, appear, be seen, show up ( informal) put in or make an appearance, approach  Translations face [feɪs] n ( ANAT) → cara, rostro; [ of clock] → esfera, cara (= side); cara (= surface); superficie f (fig) → enfrentarse a; to lose face → desprestigiarse; to make or pull a face → hacer muecas; in the face of ( difficulties etc) → en vista de, ante; on the face of it → a primera vista;
 face [feɪs] n → visage m, figure f (= expression); air m; grimace f [ of clock]; cadran m [ of cliff]; paroi f [ of mountain]; face f [ of building]; façade f (= side, surface); face fin the face of [ difficulties etc] → face à, devant; on the face of it → à première vue;
 face [feɪs] n → Gesicht nt; ( of mountain, cliff) → (Steil)wand f; ( side, surface) → Seite fvt ( subj) ( person) → gegenübersitzen/-stehen +dat etc: ( building, street etc) → liegen zu: : ( north, south etc) → liegen nach; ( unpleasant situation) → sich gegenübersehen +dat; on the face of it → so, wie es aussieht; to come face to face with sb → jdn treffen; face up to face vt fus ( obligations, difficulty) → auf sich acc nehmen;
 face [feɪs] n → faccia, viso, volto (= expression); faccia (= grimace); smorfia; [ of clock] → quadrante m [ of building] → facciata (= side, surface); faccia; [ of mountain, cliff] → parete fin the face of [+ difficulties etc] → di fronte a;
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putting a brave face on
