lose face
idiom
: to lose other people's respect
She was afraid that she would lose face if she admitted her mistake.
Examples of lose face in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Oxfordians propose that an aristocrat would lose face by publicly writing for a theater company — tradesmen, after all.
—
Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 21 Apr. 2023
Know-It-Alls do not like to lose face by being wrong.
—Womensmedia, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2021
This made a deal exceedingly difficult, because Ukraine cannot live with Russia annexing their territory, and Russia would lose face giving it back.
—Jack Nasher, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2023
Oxfordians propose that an aristocrat would lose face by publicly writing for a theater company — tradesmen, after all.
—Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 21 Apr. 2023
China was hoping for something similar with Russia and the ILRS was announced with enough fanfare that Beijing might not want to lose face by simply walking away from the idea.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 30 Sep. 2022
This is likely to fuel a cycle of blame, with neither party wanting to lose face or take responsibility.
—Anna Shields, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2021
For decades, Japanese banks kept debt on their books from zombie companies that had no intention of paying back the loans, all because a default would cause turmoil or someone to lose face.
—Andy Kessler, WSJ, 3 Oct. 2021
Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 21 Apr. 2023
Know-It-Alls do not like to lose face by being wrong.
—Womensmedia, Forbes, 5 Oct. 2021
This made a deal exceedingly difficult, because Ukraine cannot live with Russia annexing their territory, and Russia would lose face giving it back.
—Jack Nasher, Forbes, 3 Jan. 2023
Oxfordians propose that an aristocrat would lose face by publicly writing for a theater company — tradesmen, after all.
—Michael Dirda, Washington Post, 21 Apr. 2023
China was hoping for something similar with Russia and the ILRS was announced with enough fanfare that Beijing might not want to lose face by simply walking away from the idea.
—Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 30 Sep. 2022
This is likely to fuel a cycle of blame, with neither party wanting to lose face or take responsibility.
—Anna Shields, Forbes, 23 Dec. 2021
For decades, Japanese banks kept debt on their books from zombie companies that had no intention of paying back the loans, all because a default would cause turmoil or someone to lose face.
—Andy Kessler, WSJ, 3 Oct. 2021
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lose face.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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“Lose face.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lose%20face. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
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