Meaning of face in English

face

noun

/feɪs/ us

/feɪs/

face noun (HEAD)

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A1 [ C ]

the front of the head, where the eyes, nose, and mouth are:

She has a long, thin face.

on someone's face She had a puzzled expression on her face.

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A1 [ C ]

an expression on someone's face:

I was greeted by smiling faces.

I could see from his face he was unhappy.

make a face

(UK also pull a face)

to make a strange expression with your face, for example to show that you do not like someone or something:

I was making silly faces to get the baby to laugh.

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There was a look of intense concentration on her face.
The rain beat against her face as she struggled through the wind.
She had a look of utter devastation on her face.
She slapped him across the face.
It was so cold that he wrapped a scarf tightly around his face.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

The head & face

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face noun (FRONT)

[ C ]

the front or surface of an object:

face of the north face of a mountain

face of the west face of the building

[ C ]

the front of a clock or watch that has the numbers or marks that show what time it is:

a watch face with Roman numerals

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The north face of the Eiger is a very difficult climb.
She abseiled down the rock face.
When she received her prize I think I was the proudest parent on the face of the earth.
The postcard shows a view of the magnificently carved west face of the cathedral.
I rather like that watch with the square face and roman numerals.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Surfaces of objects

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Watches & clocks

face noun (RESPECT)

C2 [ U ]

the respect and honour of others:

lose face He thinks he would lose face if he admitted the mistake.

save face She tried to save face by inventing a story about being overseas at the time.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Showing respect and admiration

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Idioms

be in someone's face
in your face
disappear off the face of the earth
keep a straight face
someone's face doesn't fit
someone's face falls
the face of something
get out of my face!
have a face like the back end of a bus
in the face of something

More idioms

on the face of it

to someone's face

face

verb

/feɪs/ us

/feɪs/

face verb (DEAL WITH)

B2 [ T ]

If you face a problem, or a problem faces you, you have to deal with it:

This is one of the many problems faced by working mothers.

Passengers could face long delays.

be faced with You're faced with a very difficult choice there.

B2 [ T ]

to accept that something unpleasant is true and start to deal with the situation:

face the fact that I think Phil has to face the fact that she no longer loves him.

face facts We have to face facts here - we simply don't have enough money.

face the truth He's dying but he refuses to face the truth.

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

to accept or continue in a situation that is difficult or unpleasant

bearI will bear the responsibility for whatever happens.
endureShe endured years of hip pain before seeing a surgeon.
sufferShe suffers from severe asthma.
acceptI have finally accepted that I can't change who he is.
resign yourself toI have resigned myself to the fact that I'll never work again.
become resigned toPeople have become resigned to the fact that increased security means much longer wait times at airports.

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can't face something/doing something

to not want to do or deal with something unpleasant:

I can't face walking up all those steps again.

C2 [ T ]

to deal with someone when the situation between you is difficult:

She half hoped he would not find her, though she knew she would have to face him sooner or later.

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Some of the leaders of the coup took their lives rather than face dishonour.
Teachers who fail to fall in line with the new regulations may face dismissal.
There's a law to protect refugees from forcible return to countries where they face persecution.
He is fighting extradition to Hong Kong to face trial on fraud charges.
I can't face the hassle of moving house again.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Dealing with things or people

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face verb (TURN TOWARDS)

B1 [ I usually + adv/prep, T ]

to turn or be turned towards something physically; to be opposite something:

The balcony faced towards the sea.

Our apartment faces south.

Their houses face each other across the street.

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He made towards the door, but stopped and turned to face me.
The balcony faces west.
She turned around so that she was facing her opponent.
She wheeled round to face him and saw him take out a gun.
The window of their hotel room faced the sea.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Direction of motion

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face verb (BUILDING)

[ T ]

If you face a building, you put an extra layer in front of what is already there:

be faced in The house was built of wood but faced in brick.

be faced with The richly decorated interior of the temple is faced with marble and mosaic.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Covering and adding layers

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You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Building: construction work & workers

Idioms

face the music

let's face it

Phrasal verbs

face off

face up to something

(Definition of face from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

face | American Dictionary

face

noun [ C ]

/feɪs/

face noun [C] (HEAD)

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the front of the head including the eyes, nose, and mouth:

Cal hid his face in his hands.

face noun [C] (FRONT)

the front or surface of an object:

We climbed the north face of Mount Washington.

The face of a clock or a watch is the surface that has the numbers or marks on it that show what time it is.

Idioms

at face value
face the music
face-to-face (with someone)
face-to-face (with something)
in your face
in the face of something
on the face of it
to someone’s face

face

verb

/feɪs/

face verb (DEAL WITH)

[ T ]

to deal with a difficult situation:

They are faced with major financial problems.

I can’t face climbing those stairs again.

face verb (BE POSITIONED)

[ I/T ]

to have the front of something positioned toward, or to turn toward something or someone:

[ I always + adv/prep ] The balcony faces south.

[ T ] Please face the front of the room.

Phrasal verb

face down someone/something

(Definition of face from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of face

face

Sounds, visual images, and faces remind the players of people or events of the past.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

A possible extension of the method was also presented which takes into account qualitative sur face height information.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Philosophical arguments address one of the most fundamental yet elusive questions facing behavioral scientists, namely, what constitutes a disorder?

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The sections have been photographed so that the lateral surface of the brain faces upwards with the ventrolateral edge of the brain to the left.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

But the great body of solar lines give, on the face of the returns, great difficulty in the relativity view.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

In approaching their prospects, network marketers enjoy the privilege of exploiting the element of intimacy by reducing the potential threat to their prospects' negative face.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The transactions for both parties were done face to face (and privately) with the game administrator.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

With rare, athletic exceptions, the threat environment we now face is more symbolic than physical.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Countries are facing this challenge in many different ways, but one common factor is the increasing reliance on electronics and systems.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

For metals, par t of the laser-evaporated material can then be redeposited on the sur face in and around the ablation site.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

One of the challenges facing simulation studies is to relate the molecular structures of channel components to the physiological properties of ion channels.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The results suggest that many students are faced with a situation in which the cognitively demanding language of the classroom is beyond their grasp.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Recently, for foreign, liberal commentators these marginal groups represent the authentic face of the nation, suffering urban decadence and state repression.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

It is also not unique in suffering high levels of air and water pollution and facing severe threats to its biological resources.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

We are not targeting accurate predictions in the face of drastic unseen-before changes in workload patterns.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

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These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

Collocations with face

face

These are words often used in combination with face.

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changing face

The changing face of listening.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

cliff face

Several mosaics were acquired of the cliff face from a distance of about 300 m, and the computer automatically determined the three most interesting points in each mosaic.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

familiar face

When does the inner face advantage in familiar face recognition arise - and why?

From the Cambridge English Corpus

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What is the pronunciation of face?