variants or faceplant
plural face-plants or faceplants
: a sudden face-first fall
tripped and did a face-plant

face-plant

2 of 2

verb

variants or less commonly faceplant
face-planted also faceplanted; face-planting also faceplanting; face-plants also faceplants
: to fall suddenly and face-first : to do a face-plant
tripped and face-planted on the stage

Examples of face-plant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
But the potential for a face-plant remains, especially given the large percentage of shares that will be doled out to retail investors who are, by and large, big Musk fans but also tend to be twitchy. Rohan Goswami, semafor.com, 11 June 2026 Especially as the Nuggets just performed one of the most epic face-plants in Colorado playoff history up in Minnesota. Sean Keeler, Denver Post, 1 May 2026 No one wants to fall down a flight of stairs and face-plant right at a time of the year when the good teams are gearing up for a postseason run. Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 13 Mar. 2026 The girl takes a tentative step forward, stumbles, and face-plants into the waves. Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Jan. 2026 See All Example Sentences for face-plant

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1981, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1986, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of face-plant was in 1981

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Face-plant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/face-plant. Accessed 10 Jul. 2026.

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