faces 1 of 2

present tense third-person singular of face
1
as in fronts
to stand or sit with the face or front toward the house faces the sparkling blue waters of the Pacific Ocean

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2
3
4
as in encounters
to enter into contest or conflict with the Boston Red Sox were eager to face their traditional rivals, the Yankees, in the play-offs

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

faces

2 of 2

noun

plural of face
1
as in looks
the front part of the head the criminal hid his face from the news cameras as he slumped into the patrol car

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2
as in facades
a forward part or surface the face of the store building has been altered many times over the years to meet changing tastes and needs

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3
as in grimaces
a twisting of the facial features in disgust or disapproval it's rude to make a face when your dinner hostess offers you broccoli

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4
as in surfaces
an outer part or layer a much-needed sandblasting revealed that the face of the old stone church is actually a pinkish granite

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5
as in expressions
facial appearance regarded as an indication of mood or feeling a rainy day is no excuse for just moping around with a long face, so let's do something

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6
7

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 faces
Verb
Anthony faces five to 99 years or a life sentence if convicted. Dawn White, CBS News, 7 June 2026 The site is on a low-lying barrier island in a mandatory hurricane evacuation zone and faces ongoing risks from flooding, sea-level rise, king tides and storm surge. Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 6 June 2026 Limit other activity around the nest by using a different door to enter or exit your house, encouraging kids to play away from the nest, or closing the curtains or blinds on a window that faces the nest. Blythe Copeland, Martha Stewart, 6 June 2026 The morning of June 6, Mellor was back at Boston Logan airport for another trip to Havana, at a time when the United States is trying to tighten economic strings to choke Cuba’s government into change, and the country faces a deepening humanitarian catastrophe. Nick Penzenstadler, USA Today, 6 June 2026 Her son Miguel Anido Cuesta, who is Díaz-Canel's stepson, also faces sanctions. Arkansas Online, 6 June 2026 The debate comes as the organization faces mounting financial pressure. Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 6 June 2026 So is the moment early in the film when Mary mournfully looks on as her long-ago home faces demolition to make room for a big, featureless residential complex. Peter Tonguette, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2026 Today, Ethiopia faces active insurgencies not only in Tigray but Amhara and Oromia too, driven by disputes over autonomy, borders, and ethnic marginalization. Nimi Princewill, CNN Money, 31 May 2026
Noun
Always, always those little ashen faces. Literary Hub, 29 May 2026 The faces of the movement, from the models fronting natural-hair campaigns to the content creators filming wash-day tutorials, were overwhelmingly young—women like Chizi Duru, who is now 30; Whitney White, now 40; and Shaneice Crystal, now 31. Annie Blay-Tettey, Allure, 29 May 2026 In seconds, their faces seem to transform, all from pulling back those braids by their temples. Charles Trepany, USA Today, 29 May 2026 The men on the rock had ripped clothes and dirty faces, seemingly stunned that they had been found alive. Nick Duffy, NBC news, 29 May 2026 After a day of learning about blackmail wire and unwittingly dodging Dennis the menace, Paula heads to soccer practice and faces yet another obstacle. Erin Qualey, Vulture, 29 May 2026 The two faces of Tony Alamo A few months earlier, Alexis’ brother, Matthew, arrived groggily to breakfast. Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 28 May 2026 In a clinical trial where only half of people’s faces received LED treatment enrolled 24 subjects with LED treatments twice weekly for eight weeks. Jesse Pines, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026 Grisebach has a flair for finding faces with striking, weatherbeaten features that might have grown out of the landscape itself. Sophie Monks Kaufman, IndieWire, 22 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faces
Verb
  • Years past his music stardom, Rick now fronts a wedding band and enjoys a fruitful jam session with a former boy bander (Nick Jonas) going solo.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 7 June 2026
  • Co-founder Mike Edmondson now fronts the brewery with a new leadership team after relocating brewing equipment from a closed Garden City location, the brewery said in a press release.
    Idaho Statesman, Idaho Statesman, 4 June 2026
Verb
  • Unspoken fears or doubts shape your expression as Venus confronts Saturn.
    USA TODAY, USA Today, 28 May 2026
  • Abdullah was armed and patrolling the house of worship on a routine Monday morning because leaders of the mosque have long recognized the threat their community confronts due to the rise in hate crimes.
    Jeff McDonald, San Diego Union-Tribune, 25 May 2026
Verb
  • Their biggest fear is that a powerful hurricane strikes a dense urban area, like Miami, and encounters a population not unlike the residents of 1926, who were ill prepared for a storm and its aftermath.
    Miami Herald Archives, Miami Herald, 3 June 2026
  • Anyone who encounters a moose should give it time and space to move, wildlife officials said.
    Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 27 May 2026
Noun
  • The show also includes looks that are really about preserving the performer’s face and employing subtle transformations via stubble or smaller prosthetic pieces.
    Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 4 June 2026
  • The Spurs scored only 40 points in the entire second half and struggled to generate good looks in the fourth quarter.
    Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 4 June 2026
Noun
  • Houzz notes that 69 percent of homeowners are opting for different trim and wall colors, indicating a strong preference for varied facades.
    Michele Laufik, Martha Stewart, 3 June 2026
  • This can include easier jobs, like fresh paint jobs on facades and park clean-ups overnight, or more intense projects like refreshing and reimagining attractions.
    Megan duBois, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Noun
  • And yet, the wry grimaces that followed said the quiet part out loud.
    Megan Feringa, New York Times, 30 Mar. 2026
  • In the video, Claffey tries to move Ansell away from the subject and grimaces at the camera when his costar seems to say a little too much.
    Shania Russell, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • An employee beverage was found on food prep surfaces.
    Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado May 29, Sacbee.com, 29 May 2026
  • The sole has an excellent grip on wet surfaces.
    BestReviews, Mercury News, 29 May 2026
Noun
  • The muted expressions in Hong Kong underlined the decline in civil liberties promised by Beijing when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
    ABC News, ABC News, 3 June 2026
  • Without such a history, an LLM can only rephrase expressions of moral reasoning found in its training data.
    Ted Chiang, The Atlantic, 3 June 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Faces.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faces. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.

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