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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
The federal government struck a surprise deal with Live Nation in March after a face-to-face meeting between Assefi and CEO Michael Rapino.
—
Adam Reiss, NBC news, 15 Apr. 2026
The highest-level face-to-face engagement between Washington and Tehran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
—Farah N. Jan, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2026
But even the fact that the two sides sat face-to-face, with Pakistani officials also in the room as mediators, was a breakthrough.
—Saeed Shah, Time, 13 Apr. 2026
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called on Iran and the United States to keep their commitment to maintain a ceasefire, after both countries ended historic face-to-face talks without an agreement.
—ABC News, 12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for face-to-face
Adam Reiss, NBC news, 15 Apr. 2026
The highest-level face-to-face engagement between Washington and Tehran since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
—Farah N. Jan, The Conversation, 14 Apr. 2026
But even the fact that the two sides sat face-to-face, with Pakistani officials also in the room as mediators, was a breakthrough.
—Saeed Shah, Time, 13 Apr. 2026
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar called on Iran and the United States to keep their commitment to maintain a ceasefire, after both countries ended historic face-to-face talks without an agreement.
—ABC News, 12 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for face-to-face
Recent Examples of Synonyms for face-to-face
Adverb
-
Yet Dupuy-Spencer continued to struggle personally and financially, hurting her prospects of completing her art education.—
Alex Greenberger,
ARTnews.com,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Much of Orbán’s criticism of the Central European University has been directed personally at George Soros, who is Jewish, often deploying antisemitic tropes in what has become a crusade against the billionaire philanthropist.—
Alexander Smith,
NBC news,
11 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
Sinner trimmed Alcaraz’s head-to-head lead to 10-7 in clinching his 27th career title overall and his first Masters title on clay.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 Apr. 2026
-
In the competitive landscape, the model is expected to go head-to-head with rivals such as the Geely Galaxy M9, a large plug-in hybrid SUV that has already demonstrated strong early market traction with more than 11,000 deliveries in just the first two months of the year.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Apr. 2026
Adverb
-
One accelerant of America’s decline as a superpower will be that former allies will look elsewhere for their safety, while adversaries will recalculate the right time to challenge Washington head-on.—
Andreas Kluth,
Twin Cities,
14 Apr. 2026
-
The Ford then collided head-on with a Lincoln MKX, the sheriff's office said.—
Nick Lentz,
CBS News,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Face-to-face.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/face-to-face. Accessed 19 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
