Faceplant
/ˈfeɪsˌplɑːnt/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Moderate ·College level
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The act of landing face first, as a result of an accident or error. informal
"The skater slipped off his board and did a painful faceplant."
- 2 Death or defeat in a multiplayer online game.
- 3 A wrestling move in which an attacking wrestler forces an opponent down to the mat face-first without a headlock or facelock.
Verb
- 1 To land face first. informal, intransitive, transitive
"Moments before she face-planted on the tile, his hands shot out and grabbed her, pulling her safely to his chest. She face-planted in the middle of his pecs instead."
- 2 To completely fumble or fail in an activity, usually in a spectacular fashion. informal, intransitive
Example
More examples"The skater slipped off his board and did a painful faceplant."
Etymology
From face + plant (“place, set firmly”). Originally skateboarding and snowboarding slang, a humorous variant of handplant, which is an intentional technique in these sports.