- the front part of the head, where the eyes, nose and mouth are
- a pretty/pale/round face
- He buried his face in his hands.
- to hide/cover your face
- on somebody's face You should have seen the look on her face when I told her!
- The expression on his face never changed.
- in the face She was red in the face with embarrassment.
- At that time, her face was on the covers of all the magazines.
Extra ExamplesTopics Bodya1- A face peered around the door at him.
- a craggy face with deep-set eyes and bushy brows
- The look on his face was priceless.
- A look of disgust flickered across his face.
- From the stage, he looked down at a sea of faces.
- He tilted her face up to his.
- His eyes were sunken in his gaunt face.
- The ball hit him in the face.
- She slapped him in the face.
- I like to feel the wind in my face.
- She turned her face away.
- The robber made no attempt to hide his face.
- He covered his face with his hands.
- Go and wash your face.
- What's that mark on your face?
- She put some powder on her face.
- She has a beautiful, oval face.
- She had a plump, pretty face.
- A tall man with a handsome face appeared.
- The child drew a face with two round eyes and a mouth.
- I lay face up on the grass, staring at the sky.
- She had a big smile on her face.
- Her face was flushed after her run.
- A wry smile crossed his face.
- Her short hair suited her elfin face.
- Jack's face flushed with embarrassment.
- Her face and neck looked red.
- She looked at her face in the mirror.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- front
- rear
- North
- …
- face down
- face downwards/downward
- face up
- …
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- an expression that is shown on somebody’s face
- a smiling/happy/sad face
- Her face lit up (= showed happiness) when she spoke of the past.
- His face fell (= showed disappointment, sadness, etc.) when he read the headlines.
- I could tell by his face it hadn't gone well.
- Sue's face was a picture (= she looked very surprised, angry, etc.) as she listened to her husband's speech.
Vocabulary Building Expressions on your faceExpressions on your face- To beam is to have a big happy smile on your face.
- To frown is to make a serious, angry or worried expression by bringing your eyebrows closer together so that lines appear on your forehead.
- To glare or glower is to look in an angry, aggressive way.
- To grimace is to make an ugly expression with your face to show pain, disgust, etc.
- To scowl is to look at somebody in an angry or annoyed way.
- To smirk is to smile in a silly or unpleasant way that shows that you are very pleased about something you have done or achieved, know something that other people do not know, etc.
- To sneer is to show that you have no respect for somebody by turning your upper lip upwards.
- She looked up with a puzzled frown.
- He gave me an icy glare.
- a grimace of pain
Extra Examples- His face looked a little confused.
- He just stood there with a confused face.
- The father's face softened as he hugged his little boy.
- Her little face lit up when I gave her the present.
- Her face darkened with anger.
- Her face broke into a wide smile.
- Her face brightened when she saw me.
- A girl with a friendly face opened the door.
- Her face paled with fright.
- Her face suddenly grew serious.
- His face cleared and she smiled back.
- His face remained impassive, so strong was his self-control.
- Her face was set and hard.
- His face set in grim lines.
- He searched her face for some clue as to what she meant.
- You could read her confusion in her face.
- She looked at the honest, open face of her husband.
- Her face betrayed no emotion at all.
- She drew a little yellow smiley face.
- Her face contorted in pain.
- Her face crumpled and she started crying.
- the sight of Sarah's smiling face beaming up at him
- I laughed at his funny face.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- animated
- cheerful
- friendly
- …
- make
- pull
- search
- …
- look
- seem
- grow
- …
- on somebody’s face
- a face like thunder
- keep a straight face
- an/the expression on somebody’s face
- …
- (in compounds) used to refer to a person of the type mentioned
- She looked around for a familiar face.
- He's a fresh face (= somebody new) at the company.
- It's nice to see some new faces here this evening.
- The movie is full of famous faces.
- a well-known face on our television screens
- I'm tired of seeing the same old faces every time we go out!
Extra Examples- a restaurant where you often see famous faces
- I'm so bored with seeing the same old faces!
- It's nice to see a friendly face.
- I recognize a few faces here.
- We're bringing in a lot of fresh faces.
- At last—here's a face I know!
- They want recognizable faces to promote their products.
- It's a bit disconcerting to wake up and see a strange face.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- familiar
- old
- different
- …
- see
- (in adjectives) having the type of face or expression mentioned
- pale-faced
- a freckle-faced boy
- grim-faced
- a sad-faced woman
More Like This Compound adjectives for physical characteristicsCompound adjectives for physical characteristics - a side or surface of something
- the north face of the mountain
- the dark face of the moon
- A steep path zigzags down the cliff face.
- We could see tiny figures climbing the rock face.
- Ivy covered the front face of the house.
- A banner hung across the face of the building.
- How many faces does a cube have?
Extra Examples- The birds build their nests in the rock face.
- We slowly climbed the steep face of the crag.
- His shot went across the face of the goal.
- words chiselled into the face of a stone block
- Their corporate logo was emblazoned across the face of a skyscraper.
- the picture on the rear face of the box
- They made their way slowly down the mountain face.
- an octagonal vase with molded decorations on each face
- a polyhedron with twelve faces
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- front
- rear
- North
- …
- face down
- face downwards/downward
- face up
- …
- the front part of a clock or watch
- a dial like the face of a clock
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- front
- rear
- North
- …
- face down
- face downwards/downward
- face up
- …
- the particular character of something
- face of something the changing face of Britain
- This discovery changed the whole face of science.
- with a… face bureaucracy with a human face
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- human
- acceptable
- unacceptable
- …
- face of something a particular aspect of something
- Social deprivation is the unacceptable face of capitalism.
- He has become the public face of the company.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- human
- acceptable
- unacceptable
- …
see also in-your-face, typeface, volte-face
front of head
expression
person
-faced
side/surface
front of clock
character/aspect
Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French, based on Latin facies ‘form, appearance, face’.
Idioms
See face in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee face in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishbe staring somebody in the face
- used to describe something that you have failed to see, even though it was obvious and should have been easy to see
- The answer was staring us in the face but we never saw it until it was too late.
- to be certain to happen
- Defeat was staring them in the face.
be staring something in the face
- to be unable to avoid something
- They were staring defeat in the face.
be written all over somebody’s face
- (of a feeling) to be very obvious to other people from the expression on somebody’s face
- Guilt was written all over his face.
blow up in somebody’s face
- if a plan, etc. blows up in your face, it goes badly wrong in a way that causes you damage or makes you feel embarrassed
cut off your nose to spite your face
- (informal) to do something when you are angry that is meant to harm somebody else but that also harms you
disappear/vanish off the face of the earth
- to disappear completely
- Keep looking—they can't just have vanished off the face of the earth.
do something till you are blue in the face
- (informal) to try to do something as hard and as long as you possibly can but without success
- You can argue till you're blue in the face, but you won't change my mind.
somebody’s face fits/doesn’t fit
- (British English) used to say that somebody will/will not get a particular job or position because they have/do not have the appearance, personality, etc. that the employer wants, even when this should not be important
- If your face fits, you'll get the job.
- It doesn't matter how well qualified you are; if your face doesn't fit, you don't stand a chance.
somebody’s face is like thunder | somebody has a face like thunder
- somebody looks very angry
- Mr Hibbs came in with a face like thunder.
face to face (with somebody)
- close to and looking at somebody
- The two have never met face to face before.
- The room fell silent as she came face to face with the man who had tried to kill her.
face to face with something
- in a situation where you have to accept that something is true and deal with it
- She was at an early age brought face to face with the horrors of war.
face up/down
- (of a person) with your face and stomach facing upwards/downwards
- She lay face down on the bed.
- with the front part or surface facing upwards/downwards
- Place the card face up on the pile.
- She placed the cards face down on the table.
fall flat on your face
- to fall so that you are lying on your front
- to fail completely, usually in an embarrassing way
- His next television venture fell flat on its face.
feed your face
- (informal, usually disapproving) to eat a lot of food or too much food
fly in the face of something
- to oppose or be the opposite of something that is usual or expected
- Such a proposal is flying in the face of common sense.
have the face to do something
- (British English, informal) to do something that other people think is rude or shows a lack of respect, without feeling embarrassed or ashamed
- I don't know how you have the face to complain after everything they've done for you!
have/be left with egg on/all over your face
- (informal) to be made to look stupid
- They were left with egg on their faces when only ten people showed up.
in somebody’s face
- (informal) annoying somebody by criticizing them or telling them what to do all the time
- Why are you always in my face?
in the face of something
- despite problems, difficulties, etc.
- She showed great courage in the face of danger.
- The campaign continued in the face of great opposition.
- as a result of something
- He was unable to deny the charges in the face of new evidence.
laugh in somebody’s face
- to show in a very obvious way that you have no respect for somebody
laugh on the other side of your face
- (British English, informal) to be forced to change from feeling pleased or satisfied to feeling disappointed or annoyed
- He’ll be laughing on the other side of his face when he reads my letter.
(pull, wear, etc.) a long face
- (to have) an unhappy or disappointed expression
- He took one look at her long face and said ‘What’s wrong?’
- The news for the company isn't good, judging from the long faces in the boardroom.
look somebody in the eye(s)/face
- (usually used in negative sentences and questions) to look straight at somebody without feeling embarrassed or ashamed
- Can you look me in the eye and tell me you're not lying?
- She looked her father straight in the eye and answered his question truthfully.
- I'll never be able to look her in the face again!
lose face
- to be less respected or look stupid because of something you have done
- Many leaders don't want to lose face by admitting failures.
loss of face
- the state of being less respected by other people or looking stupid because of something you have done
- Failure to pass the exams means a massive loss of face for the students and their parents.
not just a pretty face
- (humorous) used to emphasize that you have particular skills or qualities
- ‘I didn't know you could play the piano.’ ‘I'm not just a pretty face, you know!’
on the face of it
- used to say that something seems to be good, true, etc. but that this opinion may need to be changed when you know more about it
- On the face of it, it seems like a great deal.
- What may, on the face of it, seem obvious often turns out to be far more complicated.
(as) plain as a pikestaff | (as) plain as day | (as) plain as the nose on your face
- very obvious
pull/make faces/a face (at somebody)
- to produce an expression on your face to show that you do not like somebody/something or in order to make somebody laugh
- What are you pulling a face at now?
- Do you think it’s funny to make faces behind my back?
Extra ExamplesTopics Appearancec2- She made a disgusted face at that and walked away.
- She made a funny face and gave a snorting sort of laugh.
put your face on
- (informal) to put on make-up
put on a brave face | put a brave face on something
- to pretend that you feel confident and happy when you do not
- I had to put on a brave face and try to show him that I wasn’t worried.
- She put a brave face on her illness.
save (somebody’s) face
- to avoid or help somebody avoid being embarrassed
- She was fired, but she saved face by telling everyone she'd resigned.
set your face against somebody/something
- (especially British English) to be determined to oppose somebody/something
- Her father had set his face against the marriage.
show your face
- to appear among your friends or in public
- She stayed at home, afraid to show her face.
shut/slam the door in somebody’s face
- to shut a door hard when somebody is trying to come in
- to refuse to talk to somebody or meet them, in a rude way
shut your mouth/face!
- (slang) a rude way of telling somebody to be quiet or stop talking
a slap in the face
- an action that seems to be intended as a deliberate way of offending and showing lack of respect for somebody
- The closure of the school is a slap in the face to the local community.
a straight face
- if you keep a straight face, you do not laugh or smile, although you find something funny see also straight-faced
to somebody’s face
- if you say something to somebody’s face, you say it to them directly rather than to other people
- He’s a liar, and I’ve told him so to his face many times.
what’s his/her face
- (informal) used to refer to a person whose name you cannot remember
- Are you still working for what's her face?
wipe somebody/something off the face of the earth | wipe something off the map
- to destroy or remove somebody/something completely
Check pronunciation:
face