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
Xi may lose face for admitting and correcting mistakes, but his grip on power is so strong that this would barely dent his authority.
—
Yuen Yuen Ang, Foreign Affairs, 2 Dec. 2022
The Giants, to not lose face, were forced to sign L.T.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 15 Mar. 2024
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
Yuen Yuen Ang, Foreign Affairs, 2 Dec. 2022
The Giants, to not lose face, were forced to sign L.T.
—Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 15 Mar. 2024
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
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.
Dictionary Entries Near lose face
Cite this Entry
“Lose face.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lose%20face. Accessed 26 Jul. 2024.
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