noun
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the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to earhe washed his face
I wish I had seen the look on his face when he got the news
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the feelings expressed on a person's face (syn: aspect, expression, look)an angry face
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the general outward appearance of somethingthe face of the city is changing
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the striking or working surface of an implement-
a part of a person that is used to refer to a personhe looked out at a roomful of faces
when he returned to work he met many new faces
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a surface forming part of the outside of an object (syn: side)dew dripped from the face of the leaf
they travelled across the face of the continent
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the part of an animal corresponding to the human face-
the side upon which the use of a thing depends (usually the most prominent surface of an object)he dealt the cards face down
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a contorted facial expression (syn: grimace)-
a specific size and style of type within a type family (syn: case, font, fount)-
status in the eyes of othershe lost face
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impudent aggressiveness (syn: boldness, brass, cheek, nerve)-
a vertical surface of a building or cliffverb
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deal with (something unpleasant) head on (syn: confront, face up)He faced the terrible consequences of his mistakes
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oppose, as in hostility or a competition (syn: confront)Jackson faced Smith in the boxing ring
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be oriented in a certain direction, often with respect to another reference point; be opposite to (syn: front, look)The building faces the park
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be oppositethe two sofas face each other
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turn so as to face; turn the face in a certain directionTurn and face your partner now
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present somebody with something, usually to accuse or criticize (syn: confront, present)He was faced with all the evidence and could no longer deny his actions
An enormous dilemma faces us
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turn so as to expose the faceface a playing card
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line the edge (of a garment) with a different materialface the lapels of the jacket
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cover the front or surface ofThe building was faced with beautiful stones
Extra examples
He has a round face.
His face is familiar but I can't remember his name.
I'll never forget the look on her face.
He fell flat on his face.
I didn't recognize any of the faces around the table.
There are lots of new faces around the office.
The teacher faced the class.
She turned around to face the window.
He sat facing the wall.
Turn and face to the east.
The house faces the park.
The living room faces the afternoon sun.
My shoe was lying in the corner with its sole facing upward.
The flower opens facing skyward.
Look at the illustration on the facing page.
Phrasal verbs
face off
— start a game by a face-off
face up
— deal with (something unpleasant) head on
Word forms
verb
I/you/we/they: face
he/she/it: faces
present participle: facing
past tense: faced
past participle: faced
noun
singular: face
plural: faces