What does "face" mean?
The front part of the head of a human or other animal, featuring the eyes, nose, and mouth, and the surrounding area.
Face
/feɪs/ noun, phrase, verb, slang
noun, phrase, verb, slang ·Top 500 ·Elementary level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The front part of the head of a human or other animal, featuring the eyes, nose, and mouth, and the surrounding area.
- Grammar: face is listed as noun, phrase, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: accept, accept, account, acknowledge.
- Useful contrasts: avoid, avoiding, back.
- Usage evidence: Those selected will have to face extensive medical and psychological tests.
How to use "face"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "face" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "face" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "face" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "face" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "face" is acting as noun, phrase, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "accept" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "face", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
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."
- 2 a vertical surface of a building or cliff wordnet
- 3 One's facial expression. informal, slang
"Why the sad face?"
- 4 the side upon which the use of a thing depends (usually the most prominent surface of an object) wordnet
- 5 A distorted facial expression; an expression of displeasure, insult, etc. informal, slang
"Children! Stop making faces at each other!"
Show 36 more definitions
- 6 the striking or working surface of an implement wordnet
- 7 The amount expressed on a bill, note, bond, etc., without any interest or discount; face value. informal, slang
"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."
- 8 the general outward appearance of something wordnet
- 9 The mouth. informal, slang
"Shut your face!"
- 10 the feelings expressed on a person's face wordnet
- 11 Makeup; one's complete facial cosmetic application. informal, slang
"I'll be out in a sec. Just let me put on my face."
- 12 impudent aggressiveness wordnet
- 13 Public image; outward appearance. figuratively
"Our chairman is the face of this company."
- 14 status in the eyes of others wordnet
- 15 Good reputation; standing, in the eyes of others; dignity; prestige. figuratively
"lose face"
- 16 the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear wordnet
- 17 Shameless confidence; boldness; effrontery. figuratively
"You've got some face coming round here after what you've done."
- 18 the part of an animal corresponding to the human face wordnet
- 19 An aspect of the character or nature of someone or something. figuratively
"This is a face of her that we have not seen before."
- 20 a specific size and style of type within a type family wordnet
- 21 Presence; sight; front. figuratively
"to fly in the face of danger"
- 22 a contorted facial expression wordnet
- 23 A person; the self; (reflexively) oneself. figuratively
"It was just the usual faces at the pub tonight."
- 24 a surface forming part of the outside of an object wordnet
- 25 A familiar or well-known person; a member of a particular scene, such as the music or fashion scene. figuratively, informal
"He owned several local businesses and was a face around town."
- 26 a part of a person that is used to refer to a person wordnet
- 27 A headlining wrestler with a persona embodying heroic or virtuous traits and who is regarded as a "good guy", especially one who is handsome and well-conditioned; a baby face. figuratively, slang
"The fans cheered on the face as he made his comeback."
- 28 The frontal aspect of something.
"The face of the cliff loomed above them."
- 29 The frontal aspect of something.; The numbered dial of a clock or watch; the clock face.
"An interesting feature of the church is the invisible clock, which you can hear thumping away as you enter. Constructed in 1525, it is one of the oldest timepieces in England. It chimes the hours and the quarters, and every three hours it plays a hymn. But it has no faces."
- 30 The directed force of something.
"They turned the boat into the face of the storm."
- 31 Any surface, especially a front or outer one.
"Put a big sign on each face of the building that can be seen from the road."
- 32 Any of the flat bounding surfaces of a polyhedron; more generally, any of the bounding pieces of a polytope of any dimension.
"A cube has six faces, each of which is a square."
- 33 The front surface of a bat.
- 34 The part of a golf club that hits the ball.
- 35 The head of a lion, shown face-on and cut off immediately behind the ears.
- 36 The side of the card that shows its value (as opposed to the back side, which looks the same on all cards of the deck).
- 37 The player character, especially as opposed to minions or other entities which might absorb damage instead of the player character. uncountable
"When playing aggro decks, hit face whenever you can; it's not worth spending your resources to try to control the board."
- 38 The width of a pulley, or the length of a cog from end to end.
"a pulley or cog wheel of ten inches face"
- 39 The exposed surface of the mineral deposit where it is being mined. Also the exposed end surface of a tunnel where digging may still be in progress.
- 40 A typeface.
"For the typophiles reading this, the book is attractively designed. It is set in Classic Aldine, a handsome face akin to the more popular Palatino. The designer's work is unfortunately marred by indifferent printing."
- 41 A mode of regard, whether favourable or unfavourable; favour or anger.
"The Lord make his face shine vpon thee, and be gracious vnto thee:"
Verb
- 1 To position oneself or itself so as to have one's face closest to (something). transitive
"Face the sun."
- 2 deal with (something unpleasant) head on wordnet
- 3 To have its front closest to, or in the direction of (something else). transitive
"Turn the chair so it faces the table."
- 4 present somebody with something, usually to accuse or criticize wordnet
- 5 To cause (something) to turn or present a face or front, as in a particular direction. transitive
"The croupier delicately faced her other two cards with the tip of his spatula. A four! She had lost!"
Show 18 more definitions
- 6 oppose, as in hostility or a competition wordnet
- 7 To improve the display of stock by ensuring items aren't upside down or back to front and are pulled forwards. transitive
"I've put out the stock and broken down the boxes, it's just facing left to do."
- 8 cover the front or surface of wordnet
- 9 To be presented or confronted with; to have in prospect. transitive
"We are facing an uncertain future."
- 10 line the edge (of a garment) with a different material wordnet
- 11 To deal with (a difficult situation or person); to accept (facts, reality, etc.) even when undesirable. transitive
"I'm going to have to face this sooner or later."
- 12 turn so as to face; turn the face in a certain direction wordnet
- 13 To have the front in a certain direction. intransitive
"The seats in the carriage faced backwards."
- 14 turn so as to expose the face wordnet
- 15 To have as an opponent. transitive
"Real Madrid face Juventus in the quarter-finals."
- 16 be oriented in a certain direction, often with respect to another reference point; be opposite to wordnet
- 17 To be the batsman on strike. intransitive
"Willoughby comes in to bowl, and it's Hobson facing."
- 18 be opposite wordnet
- 19 To confront impudently; to bully. obsolete, transitive
"Face not mee: thou haſt brau'd manie men, braue not me; I will neither bee fac'd nor brau'd."
- 20 To cover in front, for ornament, protection, etc.; to put a facing upon. transitive
"a building faced with marble"
- 21 To line near the edge, especially with a different material. transitive
"to face the front of a coat, or the bottom of a dress"
- 22 To cover with better, or better appearing, material than the mass consists of, for purpose of deception, as the surface of a box of tea, a barrel of sugar, etc.
- 23 To make the surface of (anything) flat or smooth; to dress the face of (a stone, a casting, etc.); especially, in turning, to shape or smooth the flat (transverse) surface of, as distinguished from the cylindrical (axial) surface.
Phrase
- 1 A mnemonic phrase to help remember the order of the four spaces of a musical treble clef in order from the bottom to the top. mnemonic
Example
"Those selected will have to face extensive medical and psychological tests."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "face"?
Common synonyms include: accept, accept, account, acknowledge, acknowledge, acting.
How do you use "face" in a sentence?
Those selected will have to face extensive medical and psychological tests.
How do you pronounce "face"?
Pronounced /feɪs/.
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-? Late Latin faciēs Late Latin facia Old French facebor. Middle English face English face From Middle English face, from Old French face, from Late Latin facia, from Latin faciēs (“form, appearance”). Doublet of facies. Displaced native onlete (“face, countenance, appearance”), anleth (“face”), from Old English anwlite, andwlita, compare German Antlitz; Old English ansīen (“face”), Middle English neb (“face, nose”) (from Old English nebb), Middle English ler, leor, leer (“face, cheek, countenance”) (from Old English hlēor), and non-native Middle English vis (“face, appearance, look”) (from Old French vis) and Middle English chere (“face”) from Old French chere. In the sense of face as in reputation, influenced by Chinese 面子 (miànzi) or 臉／脸 (liǎn), both of which mean literally the front of the head and metaphorically one's public image. See lose face.