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to face death

to face death

20 7.7
To accept that you will die while staying calm and brave
  • phrasal verb
  • /feɪs dɛθ/
: enfrentarse a la muerte
  • Many soldiers must face death during combat, often showing great courage in the process.

Look, I know who I am and I can even face death unafraid.

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Examples

  • They say when you're facing death, your life flashes before your eyes.

  • Humans need to know how to face death in the hope of life, be it personal, generational, or cultural.

    Academic text (2009)
  • You talk in the book about the importance of facing death before you die.

  • So when you face death like that, what are you going to be afraid of, right?

  • But the way you face death is the way you face life.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • And you can face death without any real fear of dying.

  • Jones dreams of his father because he faced death, and his father was waiting there to meet him.

    Blog text (24)
  • Would I have the courage to face death?

    Academic text (1998)
  • Edward told me that he felt he had, over the years, acquired the character to face death without terror.

    Academic text (1995)
  • Look, I know who I am and I can even face death unafraid.

Antonyms

331 2.4

To run away from a place because it is dangerous

263 1.4

To avoid being harmed or affected by something unpleasant

How Brave

to face death
20 7.7
to fear
∞ 1.0
to avoid
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

face death infinitive
faced death past participle
facing death present participle
faces death third person singular

Morphology

face + death

The meaning 'to confront the prospect or reality of dying' is directly and compositionally derived from 'face' (to confront) + 'death' (the end of life). This verb + noun pattern (e.g., face danger, face reality) is common in English and in many other languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.

Etymology

Face death comes from the simple image of turning your face toward something dangerous, like a soldier looking straight at the battle or a person looking at the figure of death. So, to face death means 'to face the fact that you may die' bravely or calmly.