face

Adverb

1. Intensely.
   • He's tripping face.
   • She must be rolling face.

Noun

1. The front part of the head of a human or other animal, featuring the eyes, nose, and mouth, and the surrounding area.
   • That girl has a pretty face.
   • The monkey pressed its face against the railings.
   • It was a joy to snatch some brief respite, and find himself in the rectory drawing–room. Listening here was as pleasant as talking; just to watch was pleasant. The young priests who lived here wore cassocks and...

   Synonyms: dial mug mush phiz phizog punim visage pan boat complexion countenance chevy chase ecaf eek George Best face favor kisser look map physiognomy

2. One's facial expression.
   • Why the sad face?

   Synonyms: countenance expression facial expression look visage face mien boat complexion chevy chase dial ecaf eek George Best favor kisser map mug mush pan physiognomy phiz phizog punim

3. A distorted facial expression; an expression of displeasure, insult, etc.
   • Children! Stop making faces at each other!
4. The amount expressed on a bill, note, bond, etc., without any interest or discount; face value.
   • MAKE Money-wholesale U.S. stamps—buy mint stamps below face. Be a dealer. Send $1.00 for two giant catalogs, refunded first order. Von Stein, Bernardsville, N.J. - 1966 November, “Classified Opportunity Mart: Stamp...
   • With certain exceptions for valuable stamps, dealers and many collectors are only willing to offer a percentage of face (80-90%). So instead, Lloyd took the sheets to work and posted a message asking if anyone wanted to...
   • Talking about buying below face, I've bought a lot of rolled coins at below face. I'm not going to pay face just to drag them to the bank and deposit them. - 2005 March 16, Cliff, “Re: This sounds like a newbie...
5. The mouth.
   • Shut your face!
   • He's always stuffing his face with chips.

   Synonyms: cakehole gob piehole trap bazoo chops clam clamshell hash-trap kisser laughing gear maw mouth mush neb ned north and south oral cavity os potato trap puss sucker yap

6. Makeup; one's complete facial cosmetic application.
   • I'll be out in a sec. Just let me put on my face.
7. Public image; outward appearance.
   • Our chairman is the face of this company.
   • He managed to show a bold face despite his embarrassment.
   • As the film points out, the actor became known as “the face of Aids”. - 2023 October 6, Ryan Gilbey, “The double life of Rock Hudson: ‘Let’s be frank, he was a horndog!’”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

   Synonyms: image public image reputation

8. Good reputation; standing, in the eyes of others; dignity; prestige.
   • lose face
   • save face
9. Shameless confidence; boldness; effrontery.
   • You've got some face coming round here after what you've done.
   • a. 1694, John Tillotson, Preface to The Works This is the man that has the face to charge others with false citations.
10. An aspect of the character or nature of someone or something.
    • This is a face of her that we have not seen before.
    • Poverty is the ugly face of capitalism.
11. Presence; sight; front.
    • to fly in the face of danger
    • to speak before the face of God
    • The Bat—they called him the Bat. Like a bat he chose the night hours for his work of rapine; like a bat he struck and vanished, pouncingly, noiselessly; like a bat he never showed himself to the face of the day. - 1920,...
12. A person; the self; (reflexively) oneself.
    • It was just the usual faces at the pub tonight.
    • He better not show his face around here no more.

    Coordinate Terms: ass

Verb

1. To position oneself or itself so as to have one's face closest to (something).
   • Face the sun.
   • Serene, smiling, enigmatic, she faced him with no fear whatever showing in her dark eyes. The clear light of the bright autumn morning had no terrors for youth and health like hers. - 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in...
   • Smooth and slender and naked, Mary Rittersdorf faced her husband. - 1964, Philip K. Dick, “THIRTEEN”, in Clans of the Alphane Moon, United States: Ace Books, →OCLC; republished London: HarperCollinsPublishers, 1996,...
2. To have its front closest to, or in the direction of (something else).
   • Turn the chair so it faces the table.
   • He gain'd alſo with his Forces that part of Britain which faces Ireland, - 1670, John Milton, “The Second Book”, in The History of Britain, that Part Especially now Call’d England. […], London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for...
3. To cause (something) to turn or present a face or front, as in a particular direction.
   • The croupier delicately faced her other two cards with the tip of his spatula. A four! She had lost! - 1963, Ian Fleming, On Her Majesty's Secret Service:
4. To improve the display of stock by ensuring items aren't upside down or back to front and are pulled forwards.
   • I've put out the stock and broken down the boxes, it's just facing left to do.
   • In my first job, I learned how to operate a till and to face the store to high standards.
5. To be presented or confronted with; to have in prospect.
   • We are facing an uncertain future.
   • The railway is still vital to Jordan's export trade, but in spite of the poor quality of the road, diesel lorries are gradually robbing it of freight traffic, and anyone who can afford to fly does so rather than face...
   • Ambassador Udina: The other species are scared. They've never faced anything like this before and they don't know what to do. - 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC,...
6. To deal with (a difficult situation or person); to accept (facts, reality, etc.) even when undesirable.
   • I'm going to have to face this sooner or later.
   • I'll face / This tempest, and deserve the name of king. - 1681, John Dryden, The Spanish Fryar: Or, the Double Discovery. […], London: […] Richard Tonson and Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, (please specify the page number):
   • It is time the international community faced the reality: we have an unmanageable, unfair, distortionary global tax regime. It is a tax system that is pivotal in creating the increasing inequality that marks most...
7. To have the front in a certain direction.
   • The seats in the carriage faced backwards.
8. To have as an opponent.
   • Real Madrid face Juventus in the quarter-finals.
   • And a further boost to England's qualification prospects came after the final whistle when Wales recorded a 2-1 home win over group rivals Montenegro, who Capello's men face in their final qualifier. - 2011 September 2,...
9. To be the batsman on strike.
   • Willoughby comes in to bowl, and it's Hobson facing.
10. To confront impudently; to bully.
    • Face not mee: thou haſt brau'd manie men, braue not me; I will neither bee fac'd nor brau'd. - c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies,...
    • That was it. Faced by my literary hero. Nicely faced though, he was charming throughout. And it was just as I suspected; there was no way in Hell Kurt Vonnegut would acquiesce to dinner with a bunch of moon-eyed, gooey...
11. To cover in front, for ornament, protection, etc.; to put a facing upon.
    • a building faced with marble
    • These upper walls seem mainly to have been formed, not of sun- or fire-baked bricks, as at Gournia or Palaikastro, but of clay or rubble, coated with plaster or faced with gypsum slabs. - 1907, Ronald M. Burrows, The...
12. To line near the edge, especially with a different material.
    • to face the front of a coat, or the bottom of a dress

Wikipedia

Face