confront

verb

con·​front kən-ˈfrənt 

confronted; confronting; confronts

transitive verb

1

: to face especially in challenge : oppose

confront an enemy

The mayor was confronted by a group of protesters.

2

a

: 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

confrontal

kən-ˈfrən-tᵊl 

noun

confronter noun

Synonyms of confront

• face

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

The day of the killing, the witness said he was confronted by Cherry and the other man about allegedly being short on the quantity of drugs purchased from Harmon, according to the arrest warrant affidavit. — Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Aug. 2026

While agreement remains elusive, the world’s oil markets must confront draining crude reserves. — Tim Lister, CNN Money, 5 Aug. 2026

Saldaña has also spoken about the challenge of mastering Sheridan’s dialogue, previously telling PEOPLE that the role helped her confront both her dyslexia and anxiety because of the preparation required. — Deirdre Durkan, PEOPLE, 4 Aug. 2026

Major life events that force you to confront aging and mortality can feel scary. — Jamie Ducharme, HEALTH, 4 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle French confronter to border on, confront, from Medieval Latin confrontare to bound, from Latin com- + front-, frons forehead, front

First Known Use

circa 1568, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for confront

• affront
• exeunt
• forefront
• lakefront
• manhunt
• sederunt
• upfront
• battlefront
• oceanfront
• riverfront
• waterfront
• blunt

Kids Definition

confront

verb

con·​front kən-ˈfrənt 

1

: to face especially in challenge : oppose

confront an enemy

2

: to bring face-to-face : cause to meet

confronted with difficulties

confrontation

ˌkän-(ˌ)frən-ˈtā-shən

noun

Legal Definition

confront

transitive verb

con·​front kən-ˈfrənt 

: 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

confrontation

ˌkän-frən-ˈtā-shən 

noun