Cambridge Cambridge English Dictionaries Online, the web's favourite learner dictionaries
  • Link to us
  • View basket
  • Help
Definition
A keyword: an important word to learn face1   Show phonetics
noun
1 HEAD [C] the front part of the head where the eyes, nose, and mouth are, or the expression on this part
She's got a long, thin face.
I can't wait to see her face when she opens the present.

2 to show with your face that you do not like someone or something
The baby made a face every time I offered her some food.

3 make faces to make silly expressions with your face in order to try and make people laugh

4 sb's face falls/lights up someone starts to look disappointed/happy
His face fell when I said that she wasn't coming.

5 to sb's face If you say something unpleasant to someone's face, you say it to them directly, when you are with them.
If you've got something to say, say it to my face.

6 SURFACE the front or surface of something
the north face of the cliff
a clock face

7 in the face of sth while having to deal with a difficult situation or problem
She refused to leave him, in the face of increasing pressure from friends and family.

8 on the face of it used when you are describing how a situation seems on the surface
On the face of it, it seems like a bargain, but I bet there are hidden costs.

9 keep a straight face
to manage to stop yourself from smiling or laughing
I can never play jokes on people because I can't keep a straight face.

10 lose/save face
to do something so that people stop respecting you/still respect you
He seemed more interested in saving face than telling the truth.
See also: have egg on your face, a slap in the face

Resources

The first and last word in dictionaries