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

Duren turned around to get face-to-face with Diabate and the two appeared to butt heads. —Steve Reed, Los Angeles Times, 10 Feb. 2026

Duren got face-to-face with Diabate and the two appeared to butt heads. —CBS News, 10 Feb. 2026

This allowed the team to reach a Reynolds number of 2,500, a level of physical fidelity that finally brings computer models face-to-face with real-world laboratory experiments. —Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 Feb. 2026

Their face-to-face visit lasted about an hour and was followed by lunch. —Michelle L. Price, Arkansas Online, 7 Feb. 2026

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