Definition of "face"

(anatomy) The front part of the head of a human or other animal, featuring the eyes, nose, and mouth, and the surrounding area.  quotations  examples

(informal or slang)

1. One's facial expression.  examples

2. (in expressions such as 'make a face') A distorted facial expression; an expression of displeasure, insult, etc.  examples

3. (informal) The amount expressed on a bill, note, bond, etc., without any interest or discount; face value.  quotations  examples

   Quotations

   • 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

   • 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)

   • 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)

4. (professional wrestling, 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.

5. (slang) The mouth.

6. (slang) Makeup; one's complete facial cosmetic application.

(figurative)

1. Public image; outward appearance.  quotations  examples

   Quotations

   • 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

2. Good reputation; standing, in the eyes of others; dignity; prestige.  examples

3. Shameless confidence; boldness; effrontery.  quotations  examples

   Quotations

   • This is the man that has the face to charge others with false citations.

     a. 1694, John Tillotson, Preface to The Works

4. An aspect of the character or nature of someone or something.  examples

5. (figurative) Presence; sight; front.  quotations  examples

   Quotations

   • 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, page 01

6. (metonymically) A person; the self; (reflexively, objectifying) oneself.  examples

7. (informal) A familiar or well-known person; a member of a particular scene, such as the music or fashion scene.  quotations  examples

   Quotations

   • 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

The frontal aspect of something.

1. The numbered dial of a clock or watch; the clock face.  quotations  examples

   Quotations

   • 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 4 December 2022

The directed force of something.  examples

Any surface, especially a front or outer one.  quotations  examples

(geometry) Any of the flat bounding surfaces of a polyhedron; more generally, any of the bounding pieces of a polytope of any dimension.  examples

(cricket) The front surface of a bat.  examples

(golf) The part of a golf club that hits the ball.  examples

(heraldry) The head of a lion, shown face-on and cut off immediately behind the ears.  examples

(card games) 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).  examples

(mechanics) The width of a pulley, or the length of a cog from end to end.  examples

(mining) 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.  examples

(typography) A typeface.  examples

A mode of regard, whether favourable or unfavourable; favour or anger.  quotations  examples

(transitive, of a person or animal) To position oneself or itself so as to have one's face closest to (something).  quotations  examples

(transitive, of an object) To have its front closest to, or in the direction of (something else).  quotations  examples

(transitive) To cause (something) to turn or present a face or front, as in a particular direction.  quotations  examples

(transitive) To be presented or confronted with; to have in prospect.  quotations  examples

(transitive) To deal with (a difficult situation or person); to accept (facts, reality, etc.) even when undesirable.  quotations  examples

(intransitive) To have the front in a certain direction.  examples

(transitive) To have as an opponent.  quotations  examples

(intransitive, cricket) To be the batsman on strike.  examples

(transitive, obsolete) To confront impudently; to bully.  quotations

(transitive) To cover in front, for ornament, protection, etc.; to put a facing upon.  examples

(transitive) To line near the edge, especially with a different material.  examples

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.  examples

(engineering) 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.  examples

(transitive, retail) To arrange the products in (a store) so that they are tidy and attractive.  examples