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Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

fly in the face of en · VERB

Pronunciation

Meanings

  1. (idiomatic) To act in a manner highly contrary to; to counteract or contradict.
    • The new design is very edgy and certainly flies in the face of tradition.
    • DB Cargo is clearly upset by the Royal Mail decision. Not only will it lose a valuable customer, but this flies in the face of its own high-profile campaign, called Freight Belongs on Rail. 2024 October 30, Andy Comfort, “Can the Royal Mail trains keep on running?”, in RAIL, number 1021, page 60:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
flies in the face of Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres lexicographic
flew in the face of Tense=Past lexicographic
flying in the face of Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part lexicographic
flown in the face of Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part lexicographic