face-to-face

adverb or adjective

ˈfās-tə-ˈfās 

1

: within each other's sight or presence

met and talked face-to-face

a face-to-face consultation

2

: in or into direct contact or confrontation

came face-to-face with the problem

Synonyms of face-to-face

• personally

Examples of face-to-face in a Sentence

I won't believe that accusation until I meet with him face-to-face and ask him myself

came face-to-face with her lifelong fear of flying even before the plane left the runway

Recent Examples on the Web

In an exclusive excerpt from the book, Rea captures the excitement of the day, when he was given the job of getting a poster signed by every artist at the concert and how that led to a special full-circle, face-to-face moment with Osbourne at the end of the night. —Stephen Rea, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2025

The findings were based on a series of face-to-face interviews conducted in Germany with 2,200 men and 2,500 women who had become parents, over a seven year period from 2008 to 2015. —Jack Beresford, MSNBC Newsweek, 10 Nov. 2025

Over the past 15 years, face-to-face socialization has declined precipitously. —Damon Beres, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2025

The mountain bikers shared their story — along with footage of the frightening, face-to-face encounter — anonymously with ABC7 Eyewitness News. —Bailey Richards, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for face-to-face

• aromatase
• hydrogenase
• nitrogenase
• oligoclase
• oxygenase
• plagioclase
• polymerase
• streptokinase
• triphosphatase
• abase
• airspace
• apace

Kids Definition

face-to-face

adverb or adjective

ˌfās-tə-ˈfās

1

: within each other's close presence

met face-to-face

2

: in or into direct contact or confrontation

face-to-face with a crisis