confront

verb

con·front | \kən-ˈfrənt

confronted; confronting; confronts

Definition of confront

transitive verb

1 : to face especially in challenge : oppose confront an enemy The mayor was confronted by a group of protesters.

2a : to cause to meet : bring face-to-face confront a reader with statistics confronted her with the evidence

b : to meet face-to-face : encounter confronted the possibility of failure

Other Words from confront Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about confront

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Examples of confront in a Sentence

They confronted the invaders at the shore. She confronted him about his smoking. The country is reluctant to confront its violent past. The photographs confront the viewer with images of desperate poverty. I confronted her with the evidence.

Recent Examples on the Web

His wife, suspecting foul play, confronts him in the kitchen and accuses him of having a lover. — Ben Sachs, Chicago Reader, "Hong Sang-soo and Kim Min-hee's real-life affair yields a trio of films about infidelity," 12 July 2018 In a series of tweets of his own, Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said the indictments add to the information about Russian interference in the elections and called on Trump to confront Putin about it directly or cancel the summit. — Ronald J. Hansen, azcentral, "Arizona servers used by Russian hackers to monitor Democrats, feds say," 13 July 2018 To be indigenous is to confront the immense challenge and responsibility of upholding that legacy amid a larger, dominant society that can be, at best, foreign, and at worst, openly hostile. — Rory Taylor, Teen Vogue, "The Current Border Crisis Feels All Too Familiar for Indigenous Peoples in the United States," 12 July 2018 The Spanish political left, however, has been more willing to confront the legacy of the country’s fascist past, depending on the politics of the moment. — Joseph Zeballos-roig, The New Republic, "How to Dig Up a Dictator," 11 July 2018 The woman’s boyfriend got out of the car to confront the siblings and the sister tried to run him over, according to the report. — Web Staff, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Siblings facing charges in downtown parking garage fight: report," 9 July 2018 The drama returns with another angry goodbye leading me to confront the men one last time. — Becca Kufrin, PEOPLE.com, "Bachelorette Becca Kufrin on That 'Embarrassing' Group Date — and Falling for One 'Standup Man'," 9 July 2018 When the owner of the wrecker and Moczygemba got out of the Kia to confront the driver, the thief put the truck in reverse – pinning the owner, Moczygemba said. — Jay R. Jordan, Houston Chronicle, "Police: Carjacking suspect kills owner, leads pursuit to Sugar Land," 7 July 2018 People don’t know how to confront these evils, which come in nearly every direction, in the form of theological zealots, demagogic populists, avowed racists, and trollish misogynists. — Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, "The Death of the Public Square," 6 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'confront.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Statistics for confront

Last Updated

12 Nov 2018

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Time Traveler for confront

The first known use of confront was circa 1568

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More Definitions for confront

confront

verb

English Language Learners Definition of confront

: to oppose or challenge (someone) especially in a direct and forceful way

: to directly question the action or authority of (someone)

: to deal with (something, such as a problem or danger); especially : to deal with (something) in an honest and direct way

See the full definition for confront in the English Language Learners Dictionary

confront

verb

con·front | \kən-ˈfrənt

confronted; confronting

Kids Definition of confront

1 : to face especially in challenge : oppose confront an enemy

2 : to cause to face or meet His lawyer confronted us with the evidence.

confront

transitive verb

con·front | \kən-ˈfrənt

Legal Definition of confront

: to face or bring face-to-face for the purpose of challenging especially through cross-examination the accused shall enjoy the right…to be confronted with the witnesses against him — U.S. Constitution amend. VI