face-palm

verb

ˈfās-ˌpä(l)m 

-ˌpȯ(l)m

variants or less commonly facepalm

face-palmed also facepalmed; face-palming also facepalming; face-palms also facepalms

intransitive verb

: to cover one's face with the hand as an expression of embarrassment, dismay, or exasperation

But her body language was not good from the start on Saturday. She face-palmed after missing one forehand early, then shook her head after another errant shot.

—Jeff Hartsell

facepalm noun

or less commonly face-palm

There's a kind of facepalm moment in the terrific pilot episode of Amazon's terrific new series Transparent when you realize that the title is a pun.

—Phil Maciak

Examples of face-palm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In mid-June, Kanarek texted Barisone that her mother was about to visit, and added a face-palm emoji. — Ian Parker, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026

In addition to all the on-field melées that have taken place, the World Cup has also provided some face-palm moments off the field. — Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 11 June 2026

Holly Robinson Peete also expressed her disappointment under McDonald's post, leaving a face-palming emoji. — Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2026

Hollywood may have been face-palming, but to young me, that seemed like the most glamorous room in the universe. — Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 7 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for face-palm

• diatom
• intercom
• aplomb
• balaam
• begam
• cocom
• embalm
• islam
• pogrom
• salaam
• sitcom
• balm