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
Making those comments before Michigan faces Oklahoma, one of the toughest defenses on its schedule, lays the groundwork for a QB switch if the offense sputters again. The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 Russian forces have ramped up the number of missile strikes on Ukrainian cities as Kyiv faces a shortage of air defense equipment. Sam Meredith, CNBC, 9 Sep. 2026 That comes as the city faces significant needs across its parks’ system, including its pools, with four facilities remaining closed since 2020. Veronica Egui Brito, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2026 Solomon notes that time zone issues are usually the biggest issue that NBC faces in covering the broad menu of live Olympic events. Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 9 Sep. 2026 Fetterman faces mounting backlash as an unlikely ally comes to his defense. FOXNews.com, 9 Sep. 2026 Sacramento faces critical decisions on transit emissions, community safety and traffic congestion. Sacbee.com, 9 Sep. 2026 The company now faces a larger test as deployments expand beyond a single vessel. Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 3 Sep. 2026 Its title reminiscent of Jessica Mitford’s 20th century muckraking, Gladwell’s latest faces the horror of gun violence in our country. Bethanne Patrick, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026
Noun
With a host of new faces both on the defensive line and at linebacker in a shutout of Missouri State, A&M looked much sharper this time. The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026 Their faces twist with dissatisfaction, and their eyes are glossy with hope for emotional freedom. Cortlyn Kelly, IndieWire, 8 Sep. 2026 There were tears, rounds of roaring applause and many famous faces in the audience. David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 8 Sep. 2026 Each of their faces is bounded by the same number of edges, and the same number of faces meet at each vertex. Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2026 The employee brought on Cross as one of the public faces of the New York event. E. Alex Jung, Vulture, 8 Sep. 2026 Early the next morning, many of the same faces returned for the real start of school, crowded in front of the chain-link fence. Jonaki Mehta, NPR, 7 Sep. 2026 Huber was there for the astronaut walkouts for the last flights of both Challenger and Columbia, remembering the smiles on the faces of people so excited for their trips into space. Richard Tribou, The Orlando Sentinel, 6 Sep. 2026 In parks and on streetcorners, impromptu shrines gave faces and names to almost 3,000 lives lost. Robert W. Snyder, New York Daily News, 6 Sep. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faces
Verb
  • Mike Love still fronts The Beach Boys on their busy 2026 touring schedule.
    Michael Peregrine, Chicago Tribune, 1 Aug. 2026
  • Irongate also would have sidewalks where the site fronts state right-of-way, the developers said.
    Joe Marusak July 25, Charlotte Observer, 25 July 2026
Verb
  • The administration confronts anger over rising costs, reclassified casualties and Brent crude near $95 a barrel, with gas prices and inflation squeezing Americans as Republicans try to protect narrow congressional majorities.
    Aamer Madhani, Los Angeles Times, 4 Sep. 2026
  • In the finale, Alice confronts Easton at his home and has to acknowledge that an entire cohort of people — cops, other wealthy men, even Easton’s own daughter — were complicit in his crimes.
    CT Jones, Rolling Stone, 2 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • The plastic that encases laundry pods dissolves and rinses out with the excess water.
    Katelyn Chef, Southern Living, 18 June 2026
  • The faux hair encases her locs, allowing the blonde to be the focal point of the look.
    Larry Stansbury, InStyle, 25 May 2026
Verb
  • Good Samaritan Outreach, an Orlando nonprofit food pantry and soup kitchen founded in 1997, encounters these families every week, people who are doing their best but need a helping hand to ensure their children not go to bed hungry.
    Christine Franz, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 Sep. 2026
  • When the scanning tip encounters a rough surface, the mechanical contact between the probe and the sample changes.
    Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 7 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The combination of red and purple, in particular, has already won over celebrities, whoa re adding a pop of color to their off-duty looks.
    Elise Fabre, Glamour, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Joseph’s lavender looks are, as usual, the most divisive of the bunch.
    Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The changing colors in Blue Sea Sky draw inspiration from its surroundings, including the blue ocean waters, green palm fronds, orange sunsets, and pink Art Deco neon facades.
    Francesca Aton, ARTnews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • The color palette is said to have been inspired by the lagoon and mixed with inspiration from Venice’s marble facades, plasterwork and architecture through the use of celadon greens, soft blues, terracotta, ochre and powder pink.
    Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • Tommy is already a natural punk with his grimaces, British vocal inflections and wide-eyed expressions behind the drum kit.
    Jane Tyska, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026
  • Back at the team bus, the high fives and handshakes wore grimaces.
    Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 22 July 2026
Noun
  • Zhang Ding, a key figure in Chinese contemporary art, contributes a piece composed of golden light panels that casts an almost sacred glow, illuminating transparent glass humanoid heads with gemstone-like surfaces.
    Denni Hu, Footwear News, 8 Sep. 2026
  • For ordinary two-dimensional surfaces, V − E + F = 2 - 2 × L, where L is the number of holes in the surface.
    Manon Bischoff, Scientific American, 8 Sep. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Faces.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faces. Accessed 10 Sep. 2026.

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