Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-
Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁k-
Proto-Indo-European *-yéti
Proto-Indo-European *dʰh₁kyéti
Proto-Italic *θakjō
Proto-Italic *fakjō
Latin faciō
Proto-Italic *-jēs
Latin -iēs
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.
Meanings
(not-comparable, of hallucinating from drug use, slang) Intensely.
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-
Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁k-
Proto-Indo-European *-yéti
Proto-Indo-European *dʰh₁kyéti
Proto-Italic *θakjō
Proto-Italic *fakjō
Latin faciō
Proto-Italic *-jēs
Latin -iēs
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.
Meanings
The front part of the head of a human or other animal, featuring the eyes, nose, and mouth, and the surrounding area.
‘Children crawled over each other like little grey worms in the gutters,’ he said. ‘The only red things about them were their buttocks and they were raw. Their faces looked as if snails had slimed on them and their mothers were like great sick beasts whose byres had never been cleared.[…]’ 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 7, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
It was a joy to snatch some brief respite, and find himself in the rectory drawing–room. Listening here was as pleasant as talking; just to watch was pleasant. The young priests who lived here wore cassocks and birettas; their faces were fine and mild, yet really strong, like the rector's face; and in their intercourse with him and his wife they seemed to be brothers. 1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter X, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
The monkey pressed its face against the railings.
That girl has a pretty face.
(informal, slang) One's facial expression.
Why the sad face?
(in expressions such as make a face, informal, slang) A distorted facial expression; an expression of displeasure, insult, etc.
Children! Stop making faces at each other!
(informal, slang) The amount expressed on a bill, note, bond, etc., without any interest or discount; face value.
With certain exceptions for valuable stamps, dealers and many collectors are only willing to offer a percentage of face (80-90%). So instead, Lloyd took the sheets to work and posted a message asking if anyone wanted to buy sheets of old U.S. stamps at face. 1995 January 18, Ed Jackson, “Re: US sheets -- Sell for how much?”, in rec.collecting.stamps (Usenet):
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. 1966 November, “Classified Opportunity Mart: Stamp Collecting [advertisement]”, in Popular Science Monthly, volume 189, number 5, page 229:
Talking about buying below face, I've bought a lot of rolled coins at below face. I'm not going to pay face just to drag them to the bank and deposit them. 2005 March 16, Cliff, “Re: This sounds like a newbie question....”, in rec.collecting.coins (Usenet):
As the film points out, the actor became known as “the face of Aids”. 2023 October 6, Ryan Gilbey, “The double life of Rock Hudson: ‘Let’s be frank, he was a horndog!’”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:
He managed to show a bold face despite his embarrassment.
Our chairman is the face of this company.
(figuratively) Good reputation; standing, in the eyes of others; dignity; prestige.
You've got some face coming round here after what you've done.
a. 1694, John Tillotson, Preface to The Works
This is the man that has the face to charge others with false citations.
(figuratively) An aspect of the character or nature of someone or something.
Poverty is the ugly face of capitalism.
This is a face of her that we have not seen before.
(figuratively) Presence; sight; front.
to fly in the face of danger
The Bat—they called him the Bat. Like a bat he chose the night hours for his work of rapine; like a bat he struck and vanished, pouncingly, noiselessly; like a bat he never showed himself to the face of the day. 1920, Mary Roberts Rinehart, Avery Hopwood, chapter I, in The Bat: A Novel from the Play (Dell Book; 241), New York, N.Y.: Dell Publishing Company, →OCLC, page 01:
to speak before the face of God
(figuratively) A person; the self; (reflexively) oneself.
It was just the usual faces at the pub tonight.
He better not show his face around here no more.
(figuratively, informal) A familiar or well-known person; a member of a particular scene, such as the music or fashion scene.
He owned several local businesses and was a face around town.
Vincent was the very best dancer in Bay Ridge—the ultimate Face. 1976 June 7, Nik Cohn, “Inside the Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night”, in New York Magazine:
(figuratively, slang) 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.
The fans cheered on the face as he made his comeback.
The frontal aspect of something.
The face of the cliff loomed above them.
Then, the torpedo bombers arrived, but, unlike those that had dealt Hornet such a heavy blow, these split their attention between Enterprise, South Dakota, Portland, and the rather-bewildered destroyer USS Smith, which got a damaged Kate and its torpedo to the face for its trouble. 2021 February 3, Drachinifel, 17:16 from the start, in Guadalcanal Campaign - Santa Cruz (IJN 2 : 2 USN), archived from the original on 04 Dec 2022:
The cliff I am trying to scale is the face of Mount Roraima, an enormous sandstone mesa, or tepui. 1989 May, Uwe George, “Venezuela's Islands in Time”, in National Geographic, volume 175, number 5, page 534:
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. 1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 163:
The directed force of something.
They turned the boat into the face of the storm.
Any surface, especially a front or outer one.
She wanted to wipe him off the face of the earth.
Put a big sign on each face of the building that can be seen from the road.
Captain Anderson: He has the secrets from the beacon. He has an army of geth at his command. And he won't stop until he's wiped humanity from the face of the galaxy! 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Normandy SR-1:
They climbed the north face of the mountain.
But there went vp a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 2:6:
Lake Leman woos me with its crystal face. 1812–1818, Lord Byron, “(please specify |canto=I to IV)”, in Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. , London: John Murray,, (please specify the stanza number):
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.
The front surface of a bat.
The part of a golf club that hits the ball.
The head of a lion, shown face-on and cut off immediately behind the ears.
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).
(uncountable) The player character, especially as opposed to minions or other entities which might absorb damage instead of the player character.
When playing aggro decks, hit face whenever you can; it's not worth spending your resources to try to control the board.
The width of a pulley, or the length of a cog from end to end.
a pulley or cog wheel of ten inches face
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.
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. 1982 August 28, Mark McHarry, “A Minor Delight”, in Gay Community News, volume 10, number 7, page 12:
A mode of regard, whether favourable or unfavourable; favour or anger.
The Lord make his face shine vpon thee, and be gracious vnto thee: 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Numbers 6:25:
My face will I turne also from them, and they shall pollute my secret place: for the robbers shall enter into it and defile it. 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Ezekiel 7:22:
pizza face (Hyponyms of face (noun)) · game face (Hyponyms of face (noun)) · ratface (Hyponyms of face (noun)) · rock face (Hyponyms of face (noun)) · baby face (Hyponyms of face (noun)) · manface (Hyponyms of face (noun))
Relateds
façade (Terms related to face) · surface (Terms related to face) · facies (Terms related to face) · facial (Terms related to face) · facade (Terms related to face)
tg чеҳра (anatomy: front part of head) · fa روی (anatomy: front part of head) · km មុខ (anatomy: front part of head) · ca visatge (anatomy: front part of head) · uga 𐎔𐎐 (anatomy: front part of head) · zh лян (anatomy: front part of head) · ur مُکھ (anatomy: front part of head) · he פַּרְצוּף (anatomy: front part of head) · hy նիստ (geometry: bounding surface of a polyhedron — see also side) · io edro (geometry: bounding surface of a polyhedron — see also side) · mrw paras (anatomy: front part of head) · es cara (public image — see also image, reputation) · sm fofoga (anatomy: front part of head) · quc palaj (anatomy: front part of head) · jje ᄂᆞᆺ (anatomy: front part of head) · njo-jgl tejak (anatomy: front part of head) · es frente (surface, especially a front or outer one — see also side, surface) · ltg vaigs (anatomy: front part of head) · rif udem (anatomy: front part of head) · nl gezichtsdrukking (facial expression) · mt fattizzi (facial expression) · mg tarehy (anatomy: front part of head) · lv seja (anatomy: front part of head) · ba йөҙ (anatomy: front part of head) · fi pinta (surface, especially a front or outer one — see also side, surface) · gl cara (anatomy: front part of head) · izh näkö (anatomy: front part of head) · da ansigtsudtryk (facial expression) · uk і́мідж (public image — see also image, reputation) · es faz (surface, especially a front or outer one — see also side, surface) · crh bet (anatomy: front part of head) · ast rostru (anatomy: front part of head) · to fofonga (anatomy: front part of head) · ast cara (facial expression) · ab аҿы (anatomy: front part of head) · sah сирэй (anatomy: front part of head) · am ፊት (anatomy: front part of head) · gl rosto (anatomy: front part of head) · fr physionomie (facial expression) · crh çıray (anatomy: front part of head) · gd aghaidh (anatomy: front part of head) · la faciēs (anatomy: front part of head) · fa چِهْرِه (anatomy: front part of head) · sv min (facial expression) · ja フェイス (cricket: front surface of a bat) · ru ро́жа (slang: the mouth) · fa رُخ (anatomy: front part of head) · el πρόσωπο (anatomy: front part of head) · gv eddin (anatomy: front part of head) · de Ansehen (good reputation; standing in the eyes of others — see also reputation) · id bacot (slang: the mouth) · es haz (anatomy: front part of head) · eo vizaĝo (anatomy: front part of head) · ca cara (geometry: bounding surface of a polyhedron — see also side) · th ด้านหน้า (surface, especially a front or outer one — see also side, surface) · arq وجه (anatomy: front part of head) · gu મુખ (anatomy: front part of head) · eo edro (geometry: bounding surface of a polyhedron — see also side) · zza çehre (facial expression) · ml മുഖം (anatomy: front part of head) · yi פּנים (anatomy: front part of head) · vi thể diện (public image — see also image, reputation) · ar ويه (anatomy: front part of head) · za naj (anatomy: front part of head) · tr vecih (anatomy: front part of head) · de Gesicht (good reputation; standing in the eyes of others — see also reputation) · ko 낯 (anatomy: front part of head) · ja 顔 (anatomy: front part of head) · es morisqueta (facial expression) · be аблі́чча (public image — see also image, reputation) · es apariencias (good reputation; standing in the eyes of others — see also reputation) · ga dreach (facial expression) · mdf шама (anatomy: front part of head) · sw uso (surface, especially a front or outer one — see also side, surface) · ru фейс (slang: the mouth) · mrw sangor (anatomy: front part of head) · cu лице (anatomy: front part of head) · uk лице́ (anatomy: front part of head) · sw uso (anatomy: front part of head) · rm fatscha (anatomy: front part of head) · fi etuseinä (frontal aspect — see also surface) · mk грима́са (facial expression) · ko 표정 (facial expression) · ru обли́чье (anatomy: front part of head) · sc fachi (anatomy: front part of head) · af aangesig (anatomy: front part of head) · mhr шӱргӧ (anatomy: front part of head) · fr face (surface, especially a front or outer one — see also side, surface) · az bəniz (anatomy: front part of head) · got 𐍅𐌻𐌹𐍄𐍃 (anatomy: front part of head) · he פַּרְצוּף (facial expression) · pt face (facial expression) · csb twôrz (anatomy: front part of head) · it faccia (public image — see also image, reputation) · id wajah (anatomy: front part of head) · wuu 面孔 (anatomy: front part of head) · pt face (anatomy: front part of head) · sc care fache (anatomy: front part of head) · mi kanohi (anatomy: front part of head) · tt йөз (anatomy: front part of head) · syl ꠝꠥꠈ (anatomy: front part of head) · ca gest (facial expression) · rhg muk (anatomy: front part of head) · ga aghaidh (anatomy: front part of head) · he חוצפה (figurative: shameless confidence) · sv fjäs (anatomy: front part of head) · es faz (geometry: bounding surface of a polyhedron — see also side) · he פֵּאָה (geometry: bounding surface of a polyhedron — see also side) · ru ми́на (facial expression) · vec faẑa (anatomy: front part of head) · fi eturinne (surface, especially a front or outer one — see also side, surface) · fi ilme (public image — see also image, reputation) · ar وجه (anatomy: front part of head) · fa رُخ (anatomy: front part of head) · mi taparerenga (frontal aspect — see also surface) · ms muka (anatomy: front part of head) · fi pärstä (anatomy: front part of head) · bg и́мидж (public image — see also image, reputation) · hu arc (facial expression) · eu aurpegi (public image — see also image, reputation) · es cara (geometry: bounding surface of a polyhedron — see also side) · ar وجّ (anatomy: front part of head) · de Gesichtsausdruck (facial expression) · ru лицо́ (anatomy: front part of head) · jv cocot (slang: the mouth) · fro face (anatomy: front part of head) · tyv арын (anatomy: front part of head) · arc ܦܪܨܘܦܐ (facial expression) · eo vizaĝo (good reputation; standing in the eyes of others — see also reputation) · fa روی (facial expression) · sa मुख (anatomy: front part of head) · es paramento (surface, especially a front or outer one — see also side, surface) · zh 面子 (public image — see also image, reputation) · da flade (geometry: bounding surface of a polyhedron — see also side) · cs tvář (anatomy: front part of head) · cs obličej (facial expression) · hsn 臉 /脸 (anatomy: front part of head) · xal чирә (anatomy: front part of head) · fa چِهْرِه (facial expression) · srn fesi (anatomy: front part of head) · ko 안면 (anatomy: front part of head) · gl faciana (anatomy: front part of head) · so weji (anatomy: front part of head) · pl lice (anatomy: front part of head) · tg афт (anatomy: front part of head) · ryu ちらー (anatomy: front part of head) · ar وجه (anatomy: front part of head) · ms wajah (anatomy: front part of head) · cjs шырай (anatomy: front part of head) · fa روی (anatomy: front part of head) · sc face (anatomy: front part of head) · myv чама (anatomy: front part of head) · el ύφος (facial expression) · es cara (facial expression) · fi naama (anatomy: front part of head) · nl gezicht (public image — see also image, reputation) · sv anlete (anatomy: front part of head) · ur مُکْھڑا (anatomy: front part of head) · uk мі́на (facial expression) · sm mata (anatomy: front part of head) · hi चेहरा (anatomy: front part of head) · ko 체면 (public image — see also image, reputation) · gld дэрэл (anatomy: front part of head) · tt бит (anatomy: front part of head) · kn ಆನನ (anatomy: front part of head) · sv uppsyn (facial expression) · ar وج (anatomy: front part of head) · af gesig (anatomy: front part of head) · sk tvár (anatomy: front part of head) · st sefahleho (anatomy: front part of head) · fi taho (geometry: bounding surface of a polyhedron — see also side) · eo edro (surface, especially a front or outer one — see also side, surface) · ba бит (anatomy: front part of head) · kmr dêm (anatomy: front part of head) · ja 表情 (facial expression) · de Gesicht (public image — see also image, reputation) · lo ໜ້າ (anatomy: front part of head) · nmn sàʻã (anatomy: front part of head) · hy դեմք (facial expression) · fi ilme (mode of regard) · nv aniiʼ (anatomy: front part of head) · sv käft (slang: the mouth) · ota وجه (anatomy: front part of head) · ht figi (anatomy: front part of head) · hy երես (anatomy: front part of head) · es palmito (anatomy: front part of head) · fro visage (anatomy: front part of head) · fi kasvot (figurative: presence; sight; front) · nl gezicht (anatomy: front part of head) · kk жүз (anatomy: front part of head) · fo andlit (anatomy: front part of head) · nci xāyacatl (anatomy: front part of head) · ru фаса́д (surface, especially a front or outer one — see also side, surface) · cop ϩⲟ (anatomy: front part of head) · id muka (anatomy: front part of head) · mdh sangur (anatomy: front part of head) · yao ngope class 9 (anatomy: front part of head) · ko 인상 (public image — see also image, reputation) · ru лик (anatomy: front part of head) · zza wec (anatomy: front part of head) · tsg bayhu' (anatomy: front part of head) · crh yüz (anatomy: front part of head) · ab ахаҿы (anatomy: front part of head) · roa-tar fazze (anatomy: front part of head) · hy դեմք (anatomy: front part of head) · it faccia (geometry: bounding surface of a polyhedron — see also side) · hu arc (anatomy: front part of head) · cs obličej (anatomy: front part of head) · uk обли́ччя (public image — see also image, reputation) · ru физионо́мия (anatomy: front part of head) · mr तोंड (anatomy: front part of head) · kl kiinaq (anatomy: front part of head) · ty hohoʻa (anatomy: front part of head) · pi mukha (anatomy: front part of head) · non andlit (anatomy: front part of head) · nb fjes (anatomy: front part of head) · aht -naenʼ (anatomy: front part of head) · amf áapi kerí (anatomy: front part of head) · tg рӯй (anatomy: front part of head) · es técnico (professional wrestling: headlining wrestler) · ru еба́льник (anatomy: front part of head) · is andlit (anatomy: front part of head) · wyi meni ba gan (anatomy: front part of head) · ur چِہْرَہ (anatomy: front part of head) · fa صُورَت (anatomy: front part of head) · my မျက်နှာ (anatomy: front part of head) · af kant (geometry: bounding surface of a polyhedron — see also side) · koi чужӧм (anatomy: front part of head) · da flade (surface, especially a front or outer one — see also side, surface) · oc cara (anatomy: front part of head) · ckb دەموچاو (anatomy: front part of head) · es haz (surface, especially a front or outer one — see also side, surface) · taa -nan' (anatomy: front part of head) · lt veidas (anatomy: front part of head) · el μορφασμός (facial expression) · pt rosto (anatomy: front part of head) · zh 顏 /颜 (facial expression) · pl twarz (public image — see also image, reputation) · ne अनुहार (anatomy: front part of head) · fi eturinne (frontal aspect — see also surface) · nl bakkes (slang: the mouth) · fr gueule (slang: the mouth) · fa چِهْرَه (anatomy: front part of head) · pl wyraz twarzy (facial expression) · ee mo (anatomy: front part of head) · it volto (anatomy: front part of head) · la vultus (facial expression) · ru ебло́ (anatomy: front part of head) · sv ansikte (public image — see also image, reputation) · ru пове́рхность (surface, especially a front or outer one — see also side, surface) · es rictus (facial expression) · ne मोहडा (anatomy: front part of head) · szl gymba (anatomy: front part of head) · smn muáđuh (anatomy: front part of head) · bua нюур (anatomy: front part of head) · da facade (public image — see also image, reputation) · fy gesicht (anatomy: front part of head) · qu uya (anatomy: front part of head) · fa وَجْه (geometry: bounding surface of a polyhedron — see also side) · kmr serçav (anatomy: front part of head) · tr yüz (anatomy: front part of head) · sga enech (anatomy: front part of head) · gan 面 (anatomy: front part of head) · mww ntsej muag (anatomy: front part of head) · nb side (surface, especially a front or outer one — see also side, surface) · jv rai (anatomy: front part of head) · ps څېره (anatomy: front part of head) · mnc ᡩᡝᡵᡝ (anatomy: front part of head) · zh 臉兒 /脸儿 (anatomy: front part of head) · sh líce (anatomy: front part of head) · zu ubuso (anatomy: front part of head) · bcl lalawgon (anatomy: front part of head) · ga gnúis (anatomy: front part of head) · de Ansehen (public image — see also image, reputation) · ja 面 (geometry: bounding surface of a polyhedron — see also side) · fa روی (anatomy: front part of head) · got 𐍃𐌹𐌿𐌽𐍃 (anatomy: front part of head) · su rarai (anatomy: front part of head) · mfe figir (anatomy: front part of head) · yua ich (anatomy: front part of head) · kk шырай (anatomy: front part of head) · es frontispicio (anatomy: front part of head) · el πρόσωπο (public image — see also image, reputation) · fa دیم (anatomy: front part of head) · sh ли́це (anatomy: front part of head) · te మొగము (anatomy: front part of head) · fi rinne (surface, especially a front or outer one — see also side, surface) · he חזית (surface, especially a front or outer one — see also side, surface) · pl ściana (geometry: bounding surface of a polyhedron — see also side) · fa دیم (anatomy: front part of head) · sc faci (anatomy: front part of head) · es pundonor (good reputation; standing in the eyes of others — see also reputation) · haw alo (surface, especially a front or outer one — see also side, surface) · pt cara (anatomy: front part of head) · mn царай (anatomy: front part of head) · fa رُخ (facial expression) · eu aurpegi (geometry: bounding surface of a polyhedron — see also side) · se ámadadju (anatomy: front part of head) · tzm ⵓⴷⵎ (anatomy: front part of head) · ce йуьхь (anatomy: front part of head) · be ліцо́ (anatomy: front part of head) · ca cara (public image — see also image, reputation) · arq فيڨوره (anatomy: front part of head) · ru грима́са (facial expression) · de Fläche (geometry: bounding surface of a polyhedron — see also side) · chr ᎤᎧᏛᎢ (anatomy: front part of head) · shu وجه (anatomy: front part of head) · hak 面 (anatomy: front part of head) · ru о́блик (public image — see also image, reputation) · br dremm (anatomy: front part of head) · pt face (geometry: bounding surface of a polyhedron — see also side) · uk обли́ччя (anatomy: front part of head) · zh 印象 (public image — see also image, reputation) · kmr rû (anatomy: front part of head) · pl grymas (facial expression) · fi ilme (facial expression) · da kæft (slang: the mouth) · he פָּנִים (anatomy: front part of head) · nrf fache (anatomy: front part of head) · ja 世間体 (public image — see also image, reputation) · ppl -īshkalyu (anatomy: front part of head) · ady напэ (anatomy: front part of head) · eo vizaĝo (public image — see also image, reputation) · ca cara (facial expression) · mn ᠨᠢᠭᠤᠷ (anatomy: front part of head) · yue 臉 /脸 (anatomy: front part of head) · mfe fas (anatomy: front part of head) · kw enep (anatomy: front part of head) · ty mata (anatomy: front part of head) · bo སྤམ (public image — see also image, reputation) · ar مُحَيًّا (anatomy: front part of head) · nb fremside (cards: side that shows card's value) · grc πρόσωπον (anatomy: front part of head) · izh liitsa (anatomy: front part of head) · sq Faqebardh (good reputation; standing in the eyes of others — see also reputation) · pl japa (slang: the mouth) · tzm ⴰⵖⵎⴱⵓⴱ (anatomy: front part of head) · cop ⲡⲣⲟⲥⲟⲡⲟⲛ (anatomy: front part of head) · haw maka (anatomy: front part of head) · kix khò (anatomy: front part of head) · got 𐌰𐌽𐌳𐌰𐌿𐌲𐌹 (anatomy: front part of head) · sq Përfaqesi (figurative: presence; sight; front) · ota رو (anatomy: front part of head) · pl oblicze (anatomy: front part of head) · evn дэрэ (anatomy: front part of head) · ar وش (anatomy: front part of head) · be і́мідж (public image — see also image, reputation) · su benget (anatomy: front part of head) · io vizajo (anatomy: front part of head) · fa صورَت (anatomy: front part of head) · vec fasa (anatomy: front part of head) · pdc Gsicht (anatomy: front part of head) · zza ri (diq) (facial expression) · peq huʔ:uy (anatomy: front part of head) · bcl pandok (anatomy: front part of head) · wuu 面顴 /面颧 (anatomy: front part of head) · sv prestige (public image — see also image, reputation) · cuk wagar (anatomy: front part of head) · ar وشوش (anatomy: front part of head) · apd وش (anatomy: front part of head) · tr çehre (anatomy: front part of head) · fi etupuoli (frontal aspect — see also surface) · avd دیم (anatomy: front part of head) · km មុខ (public image — see also image, reputation) · mk лице (anatomy: front part of head) · yo ojú (anatomy: front part of head) · krl rožat (anatomy: front part of head) · mzn دیم (anatomy: front part of head) · ru грань (geometry: bounding surface of a polyhedron — see also side) · or ମୁଖ (anatomy: front part of head) · fi kasvot (good reputation; standing in the eyes of others — see also reputation) · tew tsʼay (anatomy: front part of head) · pa ਚਿਹਰਾ (anatomy: front part of head) · wal som"uwa (anatomy: front part of head) · wa figueure (anatomy: front part of head) · es rostro (anatomy: front part of head) · fi etupuoli (cricket: front surface of a bat) · kn ಮುಖ (anatomy: front part of head) · nb mine (facial expression) · sa वदनम् (anatomy: front part of head) · ota چهره (anatomy: front part of head) · ady нэгу (anatomy: front part of head) · hu kép (facial expression) · sq Pafitir (figurative: shameless confidence) · ru ры́ло (anatomy: front part of head) · ru физионо́мия (facial expression) · jv dhapur (anatomy: front part of head) · acm وچ (anatomy: front part of head) · gl face (anatomy: front part of head) · zza çehre (anatomy: front part of head) · sk obličaj (anatomy: front part of head) · fi otsa (figurative: shameless confidence) · grc ἕδρα (geometry: bounding surface of a polyhedron — see also side) · ja 面 (anatomy: front part of head) · sl obraz (anatomy: front part of head) · cjs чӱс (anatomy: front part of head) · egy Hr:Z1 (anatomy: front part of head) · nb flate (geometry: bounding surface of a polyhedron — see also side) · uk фізіоно́мія (facial expression) · av гьумер (anatomy: front part of head) · fi kasvot (anatomy: front part of head) · khb ᦐᦱᧉ (anatomy: front part of head) · rap 'ariŋa (anatomy: front part of head) · vi mặt (anatomy: front part of head) · lv tēls (public image — see also image, reputation) · hu lap (geometry: bounding surface of a polyhedron — see also side) · ko 얼굴 (anatomy: front part of head) · zh 面孔 (anatomy: front part of head) · ga éadan (anatomy: front part of head) · arc ܦܐܬܐ (anatomy: front part of head) · fi etuseinä (surface, especially a front or outer one — see also side, surface) · eu aurpegi (facial expression) · ln elongi (anatomy: front part of head) · nb kjeft (slang: the mouth) · ru и́мидж (public image — see also image, reputation) · ru мурло́ (anatomy: front part of head) · haw maka (facial expression) · la facies (geometry: bounding surface of a polyhedron — see also side) · gd gnùis (anatomy: front part of head) · bo གདོང་པ (anatomy: front part of head) · tk ýüz (anatomy: front part of head) · id rupa (anatomy: front part of head) · bg грима́са (facial expression) · gd aodann (anatomy: front part of head) · mfe vizaz (anatomy: front part of head) · fr surface (surface, especially a front or outer one — see also side, surface) · ja 印象 (public image — see also image, reputation) · el έκφραση (facial expression) · ast cara (anatomy: front part of head) · ka სახე (anatomy: front part of head) · bn মুখ (anatomy: front part of head) · mn ᠴᠢᠷᠠᠢ (anatomy: front part of head) · zh 臉 /脸 (anatomy: front part of head) · ru мо́рда (anatomy: front part of head) · te ముఖము (anatomy: front part of head) · vec facia (anatomy: front part of head) · ang nebb (anatomy: front part of head) · nl zijde (geometry: bounding surface of a polyhedron — see also side) · gug tova (anatomy: front part of head) · fur face (anatomy: front part of head) · fr face (anatomy: front part of head) · si මූණ (anatomy: front part of head) · crh yüz (public image — see also image, reputation) · khw موخ (anatomy: front part of head) · ru ха́ря (anatomy: front part of head) · ang andwlita (anatomy: front part of head) · sw uso (facial expression) · fi julkisivu (public image — see also image, reputation) · sa अनीक (anatomy: front part of head) · hsb wobličo (anatomy: front part of head) · mnp 面 (anatomy: front part of head) · es frente (facial expression) · onb na³ (anatomy: front part of head) · fi tahko (geometry: bounding surface of a polyhedron — see also side) · fi etupuoli (surface, especially a front or outer one — see also side, surface) · mi mata (anatomy: front part of head) · sv yta (geometry: bounding surface of a polyhedron — see also side) · zh 颜面 (public image — see also image, reputation) · it faccia (anatomy: front part of head) · ti ገጽ (anatomy: front part of head) · vif busu (anatomy: front part of head) · mi pohonga (surface, especially a front or outer one — see also side, surface) · nb anseelse (public image — see also image, reputation) · es jeta (anatomy: front part of head) · tg рӯ (anatomy: front part of head) · he פָּנִים (facial expression) · af gesig (facial expression) · zh 面 (anatomy: front part of head) · tl mukha (anatomy: front part of head) · ca faç (anatomy: front part of head) · be твар (anatomy: front part of head) · fi kasvot (mode of regard) · az üz (anatomy: front part of head) · fi lyöntipinta (golf: part of a golf club that hits the ball) · crh yüz (facial expression) · ru лицо́ (public image — see also image, reputation) · rgn fàza (anatomy: front part of head) · oj indengwaan (anatomy: front part of head) · csb skarń (anatomy: front part of head) · rsk твар (anatomy: front part of head) · as মুহ (anatomy: front part of head) · ar وَجْه (anatomy: front part of head) · wao húʔ (anatomy: front part of head) · nl gezicht (facial expression) · az sima (anatomy: front part of head) · sk tvár (facial expression) · zh 表面 (geometry: bounding surface of a polyhedron — see also side) · tg андом (anatomy: front part of head) · es frente (frontal aspect — see also surface) · ar وش (anatomy: front part of head) · da ansigt (anatomy: front part of head) · as মুখ (anatomy: front part of head) · es gesto (facial expression) · hu fej (facial expression) · ace muka (anatomy: front part of head) · yi געזיכט (anatomy: front part of head) · sma ååredæjja (anatomy: front part of head) · eu aurpegi (anatomy: front part of head) · fa چِهْرَه (anatomy: front part of head) · orv лице (anatomy: front part of head)
Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-
Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁k-
Proto-Indo-European *-yéti
Proto-Indo-European *dʰh₁kyéti
Proto-Italic *θakjō
Proto-Italic *fakjō
Latin faciō
Proto-Italic *-jēs
Latin -iēs
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.
Meanings
(of a person or animal, transitive) To position oneself or itself so as to have one's face closest to (something).
Smooth and slender and naked, Mary Rittersdorf faced her husband. 1964, Philip K. Dick, “THIRTEEN”, in Clans of the Alphane Moon, United States: Ace Books, →OCLC; republished London: HarperCollinsPublishers, 1996, →ISBN, page 193:
Serene, smiling, enigmatic, she faced him with no fear whatever showing in her dark eyes. The clear light of the bright autumn morning had no terrors for youth and health like hers. 1910, Emerson Hough, chapter I, in The Purchase Price: Or The Cause of Compromise, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
Face the sun.
(of an object, transitive) To have its front closest to, or in the direction of (something else).
He gain'd alſo with his Forces that part of Britain which faces Ireland, 1670, John Milton, “The Second Book”, in The History of Britain, that Part Especially now Call’d England. […], London: […] J[ohn] M[acock] for James Allestry, […] , →OCLC, page 72:
Turn the chair so it faces the table.
(transitive) To cause (something) to turn or present a face or front, as in a particular direction.
The croupier delicately faced her other two cards with the tip of his spatula. A four! She had lost! 1963, Ian Fleming, On Her Majesty's Secret Service:
(transitive) To improve the display of stock by ensuring items aren't upside down or back to front and are pulled forwards.
I've put out the stock and broken down the boxes, it's just facing left to do.
In my first job, I learned how to operate a till and to face the store to high standards.
(transitive) To be presented or confronted with; to have in prospect.
We are facing an uncertain future.
The railway is still vital to Jordan's export trade, but in spite of the poor quality of the road, diesel lorries are gradually robbing it of freight traffic, and anyone who can afford to fly does so rather than face the long desert journey by rail. 1956 March, R. C. Blaker, “The Hedjaz Railway”, in Railway Magazine, page 167:
Ambassador Udina: The other species are scared. They've never faced anything like this before and they don't know what to do. 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Citadel:
(transitive) To deal with (a difficult situation or person); to accept (facts, reality, etc.) even when undesirable.
If he is convicted, he could face a life sentence. 2026 August 13, Jonathan Dienst, Adam Reiss, Erica Byfield, Matt Lavietes, Chloe Atkins, “Luigi Mangione expected to plead guilty in New York federal case”, in NBC News, archived from the original on 13 Aug 2026:
It is time the international community faced the reality: we have an unmanageable, unfair, distortionary global tax regime. It is a tax system that is pivotal in creating the increasing inequality that marks most advanced countries today […]. 2013 June 7, Joseph Stiglitz, “Globalisation is about taxes too”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 188, number 26, page 19:
According to this saga of intellectual-property misanthropy, these creatures [patent trolls] roam the business world, buying up patents and then using them to demand extravagant payouts from companies they accuse of infringing them. Often, their victims pay up rather than face the costs of a legal battle. 2013 June 8, “Obama goes troll-hunting”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 55:
I'm going to have to face this sooner or later.
(intransitive) To have the front in a certain direction.
The seats in the carriage faced backwards.
(transitive) To have as an opponent.
And a further boost to England's qualification prospects came after the final whistle when Wales recorded a 2-1 home win over group rivals Montenegro, who Capello's men face in their final qualifier. 2011 September 2, Phil McNulty, “Bulgaria 0-3 England”, in BBC:
Real Madrid face Juventus in the quarter-finals.
(intransitive) To be the batsman on strike.
Willoughby comes in to bowl, and it's Hobson facing.
(dialectal, obsolete, transitive) To confront impudently; to bully.
Face not mee: thou haſt brau'd manie men, braue not me; I will neither bee fac'd nor brau'd. c. 1590–1592 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Taming of the Shrew”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act IV, scene iii], page 224, column 2:
That was it. Faced by my literary hero. Nicely faced though, he was charming throughout. And it was just as I suspected; there was no way in Hell Kurt Vonnegut would acquiesce to dinner with a bunch of moon-eyed, gooey strangers. 1996, Trace Beaulieu, The Mystery Science Theater 3000 Amazing Colossal Episode Guide, Bantam, →ISBN:
(transitive) To cover in front, for ornament, protection, etc.; to put a facing upon.
These upper walls seem mainly to have been formed, not of sun- or fire-baked bricks, as at Gournia or Palaikastro, but of clay or rubble, coated with plaster or faced with gypsum slabs. 1907, Ronald M. Burrows, The Discoveries In Crete, page 7:
a building faced with marble
(transitive) To line near the edge, especially with a different material.
to face the front of a coat, or the bottom of a dress
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.
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.
(slang, transitive) To smoke (as, a joint or blunt) entirely by oneself.
da vende sig mod (position oneself towards) · bg излизам насреща (position oneself towards) · cdo 朝 (position oneself towards) · es carear (position oneself towards) · cs čelit (deal with, confront) · th สู้หน้า (deal with, confront) · ko 향하다 (have its front closest to) · de gegenüberliegen (have its front closest to) · eo alfronti (position oneself towards) · fr faire face à (have its front closest to) · ar وَاجَهَ (deal with, confront) · pt encarar (have its front closest to) · es acarear (position oneself towards) · fr affronter (deal with, confront) · cmn 對 /对 (position oneself towards) · da se i øjnene (deal with, confront) · es acarear (deal with, confront) · rup nfruntu (deal with, confront) · de (sich etwas) stellen (deal with, confront) · hu szembenéz (deal with, confront) · da trodse (deal with, confront) · it risolvere (deal with, confront) · es plantar cara (deal with, confront) · ru ста́лкиваться (deal with, confront) · lo ປະເຊີນໜ້າ (deal with, confront) · nl zich richten (op) (position oneself towards) · ca enfrontar-se (deal with, confront) · de sich ausrichten (position oneself towards) · sl soočiti se s/z (deal with, confront) · eo alfronti (have its front closest to) · mi whakaanga (position oneself towards) · it fronteggiare (position oneself towards) · es apencar (deal with, confront) · es mirar (position oneself towards) · it fronteggiare (deal with, confront) · vi đối diện (deal with, confront) · sv vara vänd mot (have its front closest to) · es salirle al paso (deal with, confront) · es acarear (to have the front in a certain direction) · pt enfrentar (deal with, confront) · vi hướng (về) (position oneself towards) · sv vetta (have its front closest to) · de schauen (to have the front in a certain direction) · de einer Tatsache ins Auge sehen (deal with, confront) · zza rı nayen (position oneself towards) · fr faire face à (position oneself towards) · he התעמת (deal with, confront) · nl mee afrekenen (deal with, confront) · ko 향하다 (position oneself towards) · fr être en face de (have its front closest to) · hi लोहा लेना (deal with, confront) · mr सामना करणे (deal with, confront) · it confrontarsi (deal with, confront) · it sistemare (deal with, confront) · cmn 面臨 /面临 (deal with, confront) · no vende seg mot (position oneself towards) · nl onder ogen zien (deal with, confront) · no rett ut mot (position oneself towards) · ro înfrunta (deal with, confront) · it volgersi (position oneself towards) · pl obrócić się (w stronę/do czegoś) (position oneself towards) · es arrostrar (deal with, confront) · es encarar (to have the front in a certain direction) · sv vända sig mot (position oneself towards) · bg излизам насреща (deal with, confront) · fi olla päin (johonkin) (have its front closest to) · es enfrentarse (position oneself towards) · it porre mano (deal with, confront) · es encarar (deal with, confront) · da konfrontere (deal with, confront) · no konfrontere (deal with, confront) · es encarar (position oneself towards) · pl stawić czoła (deal with, confront) · pl stawiać czoła (deal with, confront) · pt encarar (deal with, confront) · oc afrontar (deal with, confront) · ky көз алдына келүү (position oneself towards) · ru сме́ло встреча́ть (deal with, confront) · sv ta itu med (deal with, confront) · es carear (to have the front in a certain direction) · nl naar ... staan (gericht) (have its front closest to) · th เผชิญหน้า (deal with, confront) · ja 直面する (deal with, confront) · it rivolgersi (position oneself towards) · ru предстать (position oneself towards) · es apechar (deal with, confront) · ko 다루다 (deal with, confront) · it posizionarsi (position oneself towards) · bg гледам към (have its front closest to) · cmn 朝 (position oneself towards) · he פנה (position oneself towards) · da være vendt mod (have its front closest to) · fr être vis-à-vis de (have its front closest to) · fi kohdata (deal with, confront) · nl tegemoet gaan (deal with, confront) · de gegenüber sein (have its front closest to) · ja 向かう (position oneself towards) · el αντιμετωπίζω (deal with, confront) · mi whakarae (position oneself towards) · de zeigen (to have the front in a certain direction) · kk көз алдына келу (position oneself towards) · pt encarar (position oneself towards) · ca encarar (position oneself towards) · it affrontare (deal with, confront) · es mirar (to have the front in a certain direction) · eo alfronti (deal with, confront) · it fronteggiare (have its front closest to) · sw kuelekea (have its front closest to) · nl zich richten naar (position oneself towards) · ro confrunta (deal with, confront) · it posizionarsi verso (position oneself towards) · khb ᦎᦹᧅ (deal with, confront) · he פנה (have its front closest to) · es apechugar (deal with, confront) · hi सामना (deal with, confront) · fi olla päin (johonkin) (position oneself towards) · ky туруу (position oneself towards) · mi anga (to have the front in a certain direction) · izh nähä (deal with, confront) · nl de confrontatie aangaan met (deal with, confront) · vi đối mặt (deal with, confront)