Definition of face-to-facenext
1
as in personally
in person and usually privately I won't believe that accusation until I meet with him face-to-face and ask him myself

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2
as in one-on-one
in direct confrontation or competition came face-to-face with her lifelong fear of flying even before the plane left the runway

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of face-to-face Go face-to-face with the person of the moment. Brittney Melton, NPR, 12 May 2026 Parents whose children came face-to-face with the Covenant School shooter and watched classmates die shared a room with gun owners. Lizzie Hyman, PEOPLE, 11 May 2026 There is no landing and no face-to-face handoff. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 10 May 2026 So far, Aoun has refused to engage in face-to-face discussions with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding a complete halt to Israeli fire on the country. Mustafa Qadri, CNN Money, 8 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for face-to-face
Recent Examples of Synonyms for face-to-face
Adverb
  • When a couple of claims finally materialized, the taxpayer personally acted as the claims adjustor and approved and paid the claims.
    Jay Adkisson, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026
  • So there is no real secret behind the scenes—just to work, to be honest, to meet personally with the people, to look into their eyes.
    Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 9 May 2026
Adverb
  • The grandest night in British TV unfolded as some of the biggest stars around the world including Colin Firth, Aimee Lou Wood, Taron Egerton and Matt Smith went head-to-head.
    Max Goldbart, Deadline, 10 May 2026
  • Misiorowski won head-to-head matchups with 2025 NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes and three-time Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw as a rookie.
    Ryan Morik, FOXNews.com, 9 May 2026
Adverb
  • Perkins, who is CEO of Canva, addressed head-on the concerns among many who work in creative industries about the potential for AI to supplant human labor.
    Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 16 Apr. 2026
  • Figures of Crisis makes productive use of this commonplace idea by tackling it head-on and turning it inside out.
    Ara H. Merjian, ARTnews.com, 16 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Face-to-face.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/face-to-face. Accessed 17 May. 2026.

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