Face (noun) — the front part of the head, from forehead to chin, where the eyes, nose, and mouth are located; a person's expression; the surface or front side of something.
Face (verb) — to turn towards something; to confront or deal with a difficult situation, problem, or person.
What Does Face Mean?
Face is one of the most versatile words in English, functioning as both a noun and a verb, and appearing in dozens of fixed expressions. It entered English in the 13th century from Old French face, which came from Vulgar Latin facia, ultimately from Latin facies meaning “form, appearance”. The same Latin root facere (to make, to do) also gives us surface, facade, and efface.
As a noun, the word covers three broad senses: (1) the physical front of the head — “She had paint on her face”; (2) a person's expression or outward look — “a worried face”, “a poker face”; (3) the front or outer surface of an object — “the face of a cliff”, “the face of a watch”.
As a verb, face means to turn towards something physically — “Face the board, please” — or, more commonly in everyday English, to confront or deal with something difficult: “We face serious challenges”. The phrasal verb face up to adds the nuance of accepting a painful reality rather than avoiding it.
Example Sentences
| Sentence | Level & usage note |
|---|---|
| She washed her face and brushed her teeth before school. | A2 — face as a body part (noun) |
| The teacher told the students to face the front of the classroom. | B1 — face meaning to turn towards (verb) |
| She faced the challenge of learning a new alphabet from scratch. | B1 — face meaning to confront (verb) |
| He managed to keep a straight face even though the joke was very funny. | B2 — fixed expression: straight face (noun) |
| The government must face up to the consequences of its economic policy. | C1 — phrasal verb: face up to (accept a difficult reality) |
Common Collocations
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| face a challenge | Every learner faces challenges when studying a new language. |
| face the music | He made a mistake and now he has to face the music. |
| face the facts | It is time to face the facts — the project is over budget. |
| save face | The manager changed the decision quietly to save face. |
| lose face | He refused to admit he was wrong because he did not want to lose face. |
| straight face | She found it hard to keep a straight face during the speech. |
| poker face | A good negotiator needs a perfect poker face. |
| face up to | You need to face up to your responsibilities. |
| familiar face | I spotted a familiar face in the crowd. |
| pale face | She arrived with a pale face after hearing the news. |
Usage Notes
How to Use Face Correctly
Noun + to-infinitive: When face is a noun followed by a verb, use the to-infinitive — “the face of a country” does not take a verb, but notice that face as a verb does: “She faced having to start over” (face + gerund is also possible as verb).
Verb object: As a transitive verb, face usually takes a noun object — “face a problem”, “face reality”, “face criticism”. You can also say “be faced with”: “We were faced with an impossible choice.”
Face up to vs. face: Use face up to when you want to emphasise the idea of reluctant acceptance: “He finally faced up to his addiction.” Plain face is more neutral: “The team faces a difficult season.”
In the face of: This prepositional phrase means “despite” or “when confronted by”: “She remained calm in the face of danger.” It is common in formal and academic writing.
Common Mistakes
Watch Out For
She was faced to a very difficult decision.
She was faced with a very difficult decision. (use faced with, not faced to)
He must face to the consequences of his actions.
He must face the consequences of his actions. (no preposition after face the verb in most cases)
Let's face it up — we were wrong.
Let's face it — we were wrong. (face it is fixed; face up to it is also correct, but face it up is not)
Etymology
The word face came into Middle English in the 13th century from Old French face, which itself derived from Vulgar Latin *facia. The source is classical Latin facies, meaning “form, figure, appearance, face” — related to facere (to make, to do), reflecting the face as the outward “making” or expression of a person. This root also underlies surface (from Latin superficies), facade (the face of a building), and efface (to wipe the face off something, i.e. to erase). The verb sense — to turn towards or to confront — developed by the early 16th century.