face down
adjective or adverb
variants
or less commonly face-down
or facedown
: with the face down
He was face down on the bed. = He was lying face down on the bed.
Two cards are dealt face down to each player, then the first round of bets is made.—
Thomas L. Clark
Thomas L. Clark… she walked past us to the lab area, placed the paper face down on the table and looked back at us.—David Kwiatkowski
David Kwiatkowski… stood up so fast he knocked his plate of waffles facedown onto the floor.—Ingrid Law
—usually hyphenated before a nounIngrid Law… an alternate paper path has been added to turn out face-down copies in proper order, so they don't have to be collated manually.—William J. Lynott
William J. LynottExamples of face down in a Sentence
The cards were dealt facedown.
He fell facedown in the sand.
Recent Examples on the Web
Spiotti reportedly positioned his right knee on Jackson’s back as Jackson lay face down on the porch, police bodycam footage shows.
—Kellie Love, Hartford Courant, 26 Mar. 2026
In the pool, a priest is floating face down.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
Local Thai police said a worker discovered Wright’s body face down in still water.
—Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 19 Mar. 2026
On many of the planes, the boom operator works lying face down while looking out of a window on the underside of the plane.
—Kim Tong-Hyung, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Now in New York, he is tasked with both furthering and reviving a pitching ecosystem that last June appeared the envy of the major leagues, only to fall flat on its face down the stretch.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
Crouch as low as possible to the floor, face down.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2026
Because Arnold was found lying face down in the living room and had prior health issues, family and first responders did not immediately discover that he had been shot, prosecutors said.
—Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026
Whoever is chosen for the role will face down a fraught debate over Germany’s historic allegiance to Israel and the legal boundaries of pro-Palestinian speech.
—Shira Li Bartov, Sun Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2026
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.
Kellie Love, Hartford Courant, 26 Mar. 2026
In the pool, a priest is floating face down.
—Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 24 Mar. 2026
Local Thai police said a worker discovered Wright’s body face down in still water.
—Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 19 Mar. 2026
On many of the planes, the boom operator works lying face down while looking out of a window on the underside of the plane.
—Kim Tong-Hyung, Los Angeles Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Now in New York, he is tasked with both furthering and reviving a pitching ecosystem that last June appeared the envy of the major leagues, only to fall flat on its face down the stretch.
—Tim Britton, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
Crouch as low as possible to the floor, face down.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA TODAY, 11 Mar. 2026
Because Arnold was found lying face down in the living room and had prior health issues, family and first responders did not immediately discover that he had been shot, prosecutors said.
—Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 11 Mar. 2026
Whoever is chosen for the role will face down a fraught debate over Germany’s historic allegiance to Israel and the legal boundaries of pro-Palestinian speech.
—Shira Li Bartov, Sun Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Face down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/face%20down. Accessed 28 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
facedown
adverb
face·down
ˈfās-ˈdau̇n 
: with the face down
floated facedown
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
