to face
179
3.9
- phrasal verb
- /tə feɪs/
- Informal
:
a la cara
- He chose to face the criticism head-on rather than talking behind people's backs.
When Sarah's comes face to face with Death himself.
- When Sarah's comes face to face with Death himself.
- So we are now face to face with the seller or the part the client.
Examples
-
Carlos Andres Perez, the champion of democracy, has had to face two movements, two crises in Caracas.
Academic text (1993) -
Jarod helped me to face my fears... to find me again.
-
But you have to face it.
-
So I decided it was time to face the facts.
-
You gotta face the facts.
-
We should all prepare ourselves to face a difficult future regarding water.
Academic text (2012) -
I'm afraid we'll have to face that when it happens.
-
The attempt to shut out what we do not want to face is necessarily unsuccessful.
Academic text (1999) -
Christian and Jewish religions have had to face this issue from earliest times.
Academic text (1992) -
Millions of children have been born to face lives of neglect, abuse, or abandonment.
Academic text (1992)
Synonyms
130
2.3
In the same place as someone and looking at them directly
88
1.4
In a clear honest way, saying what you think
40
4.6
In a direct way that is not polite
36
3.8
To face something directly without avoiding it
28
4.1
In an honest, direct way without hiding your true thoughts
21
7.0
To say something plainly without hiding feelings
14
4.1
Two people talk directly and honestly to each other
9
5.0
In a very direct way without trying to hide anything
7
2.8
Happens when people sit or stand opposite each other in the same place
To talk directly to someone when they are there
Openly and without shame
Antonyms
78
4.2
In a way that does not say something clearly, often by a hint or through someone else
How Direct
Surface Forms
Morphology
to + face
The sense 'in a direct and open manner' is compositionally derived from the directional preposition 'to' (toward) plus 'face' (the person's front/confrontation); together they yield the idea of directing words or actions at someone's face, i.e. addressing them directly. This pattern (say it to someone's face) is cross-linguistically common and follows straightforward semantics, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents can infer the meaning.
Etymology
To face comes from the image of standing in front of someone and speaking while looking at their face. Saying something to face means you tell the person directly, not behind their back, so it now means 'in a direct and open manner'.