face
Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++LDOCE 5++face1 /feɪs/ ●●● S1 W1 noun [countable] 
1 front of your head 头部的正面HBHBODY the front part of your head, where your eyes, nose, and mouth are 脸，面部 She had a beautiful face. 她面容秀美。 Her face was white with fear. 她吓得脸煞白。 A big smile spread across his face. 他的脸上绽开了灿烂笑容。 I felt like punching him in the face. 我真想给他脸上来一拳。 ► You say that something is on somebody’s face, not ‘in somebody’s face’: You’ve got a mark on your face. 表示“某物在某人脸上”时用 on , 不用 in : You’ve got a mark on your face. 你脸上有块污渍。2 expression 表情EXPRESSION ON somebody'S FACE an expression on someone’s face 面部表情；脸色 I’ll never forget my father’s face – I’d never seen him so upset before. 我永远也忘不了父亲的表情——我以前从没见他那么难过。3. keep a straight face to not laugh or smile, even though something is funny 绷着脸忍住不笑4 pale-faced/round-faced etc having a face that has a particular colour or shape 脸色苍白的/脸圆圆的等 a pale-faced youth 脸色苍白的年轻人 → red-faced5 grim-faced/serious-faced etc APPEARANCEshowing a particular expression on your face 表情严峻的/严肃的等 Negotiators emerged grim-faced after the day’s talks. 经过一天的谈判之后，谈判代表们表情严峻地走了出来。 → barefaced, po-faced, poker-faced, stony-faced6 person 人 a person 人new/different face (=someone who you have not seen before) 新面孔 There are a few new faces in class this year. 今年班上来了几个新面孔。 Gordon is a familiar face (=someone who you know or have seen many times before) at the Shrewsbury Flower Show. 戈登是什鲁斯伯里花展上的老面孔了。 It’s the same old faces (=people who you see often, especially too often) at our meetings every week. 我们每周开会都是那几张老面孔。famous/well-known face (=someone who is famous from television, magazines, films etc) 名人 She looked around at the sea of faces (=lots of people seen together) in the cafeteria. 她环顾餐厅里的一张张面孔。7 face to face a) OPPOSITE/FACEif two people are standing face to face, they are very close and are looking at each other 面对面地meet somebody/talk to somebody/explain something etc face to face (=to meet someone and talk to them, instead of just hearing about them, talking to them on the phone etc) 当面见某人/与某人说话/解释某事等 I’ve never met her face to face. 我从来没有跟她见过面。 ‘You could have just phoned.’ ‘I wanted to explain things face to face.’ “你打个电话就可以嘛。”“我想当面解释。”come face to face/find yourself face to face (with somebody) (=to meet someone, especially in a way that surprises or frightens you) 迎面碰上（某人）〔尤指感到吃惊或害怕〕 At that moment he came face to face with Sergeant Burke. 就在那时，他迎面碰上了伯克中士。 The two men stood face to face without a word. 那两个人面对面站着，一言不发。 b) DEAL WITHif you come face to face with something difficult, you experience it and have to deal with it 面对，面临〔困难〕 It was the first time he’d ever come face to face with death. 这是他第一次直面死亡。bring somebody face to face with something Sometimes one is brought face to face with facts which cannot be ignored. 有时人得面对一些不能忽视的事实。 → face-to-face8 say something/tell somebody something to their face PERSONALLY/YOURSELFif you say something unpleasant to someone’s face, you say it to them directly, rather than to other people 当面说某事/告诉某人某事 I told him to his face just what I thought of him. 我当面告诉了他我对他的看法。9 face down/downwards UPwith the face or front towards the ground 脸朝下，面朝下10 face up/upwards with the face or front towards the sky 脸朝上，面朝上11 in the face of something DESPITEin a situation where there are many problems, difficulties, or dangers 面对某事物〔指问题、困难、危险〕12 on the face of it SEEMused to say that something seems true but that you think there may be other facts about it which are not yet clear 从表面上看13 the face of something 14 DNmountain/cliff 山/悬崖 the face of a mountain, cliff etc is a steep vertical surface or side 〔山、悬崖等的〕正面；坡面15. 
clock 钟TMC the front part of a clock or watch, where the numbers and hands are 钟面；表面 →5 see picture at 见图 clock, watch16 lose face ASHAMEDif you lose face, you do something which makes you seem weak, stupid etc, and which makes people respect you less 丢脸，失面子17 save face ADMIREif you do something to save face, you do it so that people will not lose their respect for you 保全面子18 disappear/vanish from/off the face of the earth DISAPPEARused to say that you have no idea where someone is and have not seen them in a very long time 从地球上消失〔用于表示不知道某人在哪里，长久没有见到他们〕19 on the face of the earth used when you are emphasizing a statement to mean ‘in the whole world’ 天底下，世界上〔用于强调〕20. somebody’s face doesn’t fit WRONG/UNSUITABLEused to say that someone will not get or keep a particular job because they are not the kind of person that the employer wants 某人不合适〔某一职位〕21 set your face against something especially British EnglishAGAINST/OPPOSE to be very determined that something should not happen 坚决反对某事22. mine 矿井TI the part of a mine from which coal, stone etc is cut 采掘面，工作面 → coalface23 outside surface 外表TBB one of the outside surfaces of an object or building 〔物体或建筑物的〕面；表面24. sport 体育运动DS the part of a racket or bat etc that you use to hit the ball 〔球拍的〕拍面；〔球板的〕板面25 in your face spoken informalHONEST behaviour, criticisms, remarks etc that are in your face are very direct and often shocking or surprising 〔行为、批评、评论等〕当面的，直截了当的，不留情面的26. get in somebody’s face spoken informal if someone gets in your face, they really annoy you 惹某人生气27. get out of my face spoken informal used to tell someone in an impolite way to go away because they are annoying you 滚开28 what’s his face/what’s her face spoken informalNAME OF A PERSON used as a way of talking about someone when you cannot remember their name 那个叫什么名字的人29 put your face on informalDCB to put make-up on 化妆 → blow up in somebody’s face at blow up, → put on a brave face at brave1(3), → do something till you’re blue in the face at blue1(4), → have egg on your face at egg1(5), → face-to-face, → fly in the face of at fly1(18), → laugh in somebody’s face at laugh1(11), → long face at long1(12), → not just a pretty face at pretty2(4), → show your face at show1(15), → shut your face at shut1(2), → a slap in the face at slap2(2), → be staring somebody in the face at stare1(2), → a straight face at straight2(8), → wipe something off the face of the earth at wipe1(8), → wipe the smile/grin off somebody’s face at wipe1(7), → have something written all over your face at write(10) COLLOCATIONS – Meanings 1 & 2adjectivespretty/beautiful/handsome etc 漂亮的/美丽的/英俊的等Her face was beautiful in the morning light. 她的脸在晨曦的映衬下明媚动人。round/oval/square 圆的/鹅蛋形的/方正的Her face was round and jolly. 她的脸圆圆的，表情很快活。thin/narrow 瘦的/窄的Tears rolled down her thin face. 泪水从她瘦削的脸庞滑落。pale/dark 苍白的/黝黑的His face suddenly became pale and I thought he was going to faint. 他突然脸色煞白，我以为他要晕倒了。nan angular face (=so thin that you can see the bones)She stared at his dark, angular face.sad/serious 悲伤的/严肃的Maggie looked at him with a sad face. 玛吉看着他，一脸悲伤。happy/smiling 开心的/微笑的Shelley looked at the children’s happy faces. 谢利看着孩子们开心的笑脸。na grinning faceHe looked down at the boy’s grinning face.angry 生气的nBeth’s angry face stared fiercely at her husband.worried/anxious 担心的/忧虑的nMy father watched us go with a worried face.puzzled 困惑的nHe looked at his son’s puzzled face.blank/impassive (=showing no emotion or thoughts) 茫然的/冷漠的nWhat was she really thinking behind that blank face?wrinkled/lined (=with a lot of small lines, especially because of old age) 布满皱纹的nHis wrinkled face must once have been handsome.scowling (=showing that you are not pleased about something) 不悦的nHe looked around and saw his boss's scowling face behind him.a long face (=an unhappy expression) 拉长的脸nWhat’s the long face for?verbssomebody’s face goes/turns red (=becomes red) 某人脸红了His face went red with embarrassment. 他窘得涨红了脸。somebody’s face goes/turns pale (=becomes pale) 某人的脸煞白I saw her face go pale when he walked in. 他走进来的时候，我看到她脸色煞白。somebody’s face lights up/brightens (=they start to look happy) 某人眉开眼笑nDenise’s face lit up when she heard the news.somebody’s face darkens (=they start to look angry or threatening) 某人的脸阴沉下来nShe handed him the letter and his face darkened.somebody’s face falls (=they look sad or disappointed) 某人脸色一沉nHer face fell when she saw who it was.pull/make a face (=to change your expression to make people laugh or to show you are angry, disappointed etc) 做鬼脸；拉长脸nHere’s a funny photo of Joe pulling a face.nsomebody’s face is contorted with anger/rage (=someone’s face is twisted out of its normal shape because they are angry)Eve’s face was contorted with anger as she picked up the broken vase.phrasesa look/expression on somebody’s face 某人脸上的神情She had a rather surprised look on her face. 她的表情相当惊讶。nI could tell by the look on Dan’s face that he was disappointed.a smile/grin/frown on somebody’s face 某人脸上的微笑/咧嘴笑/皱眉There was a mischievous grin on her face. 她一脸坏笑。nHe was reading the newspaper with a frown on his face.you can see something in somebody’s face (=you know what someone is feeling from the expression on their face) 你能看见某人脸上的某种表情She could see the despair in his face. 她能看出他脸上的失望之情。something is written all over somebody’s face (=their feelings can be seen very clearly in their expression) 某种感情写在某人脸上nYou’re jealous – it’s written all over your face!nyou should have seen somebody’s face (=used to say that someone was very angry, surprised etc)You should have seen his face when I told him that I was resigning.na face like thunder (=a very angry expression)The boss had a face like thunder when he arrived this morning.
1 front of your head 头部的正面HBHBODY the front part of your head, where your eyes, nose, and mouth are 脸，面部 She had a beautiful face. 她面容秀美。 Her face was white with fear. 她吓得脸煞白。 A big smile spread across his face. 他的脸上绽开了灿烂笑容。 I felt like punching him in the face. 我真想给他脸上来一拳。 ► You say that something is on somebody’s face, not ‘in somebody’s face’: You’ve got a mark on your face. 表示“某物在某人脸上”时用 on , 不用 in : You’ve got a mark on your face. 你脸上有块污渍。2 expression 表情EXPRESSION ON somebody'S FACE an expression on someone’s face 面部表情；脸色 I’ll never forget my father’s face – I’d never seen him so upset before. 我永远也忘不了父亲的表情——我以前从没见他那么难过。3. keep a straight face to not laugh or smile, even though something is funny 绷着脸忍住不笑4 pale-faced/round-faced etc having a face that has a particular colour or shape 脸色苍白的/脸圆圆的等 a pale-faced youth 脸色苍白的年轻人 → red-faced5 grim-faced/serious-faced etc APPEARANCEshowing a particular expression on your face 表情严峻的/严肃的等 Negotiators emerged grim-faced after the day’s talks. 经过一天的谈判之后，谈判代表们表情严峻地走了出来。 → barefaced, po-faced, poker-faced, stony-faced6 person 人 a person 人new/different face (=someone who you have not seen before) 新面孔 There are a few new faces in class this year. 今年班上来了几个新面孔。 Gordon is a familiar face (=someone who you know or have seen many times before) at the Shrewsbury Flower Show. 戈登是什鲁斯伯里花展上的老面孔了。 It’s the same old faces (=people who you see often, especially too often) at our meetings every week. 我们每周开会都是那几张老面孔。famous/well-known face (=someone who is famous from television, magazines, films etc) 名人 She looked around at the sea of faces (=lots of people seen together) in the cafeteria. 她环顾餐厅里的一张张面孔。7 face to face a) OPPOSITE/FACEif two people are standing face to face, they are very close and are looking at each other 面对面地meet somebody/talk to somebody/explain something etc face to face (=to meet someone and talk to them, instead of just hearing about them, talking to them on the phone etc) 当面见某人/与某人说话/解释某事等 I’ve never met her face to face. 我从来没有跟她见过面。 ‘You could have just phoned.’ ‘I wanted to explain things face to face.’ “你打个电话就可以嘛。”“我想当面解释。”come face to face/find yourself face to face (with somebody) (=to meet someone, especially in a way that surprises or frightens you) 迎面碰上（某人）〔尤指感到吃惊或害怕〕 At that moment he came face to face with Sergeant Burke. 就在那时，他迎面碰上了伯克中士。 The two men stood face to face without a word. 那两个人面对面站着，一言不发。 b) DEAL WITHif you come face to face with something difficult, you experience it and have to deal with it 面对，面临〔困难〕 It was the first time he’d ever come face to face with death. 这是他第一次直面死亡。bring somebody face to face with something Sometimes one is brought face to face with facts which cannot be ignored. 有时人得面对一些不能忽视的事实。 → face-to-face8 say something/tell somebody something to their face PERSONALLY/YOURSELFif you say something unpleasant to someone’s face, you say it to them directly, rather than to other people 当面说某事/告诉某人某事 I told him to his face just what I thought of him. 我当面告诉了他我对他的看法。9 face down/downwards UPwith the face or front towards the ground 脸朝下，面朝下10 face up/upwards with the face or front towards the sky 脸朝上，面朝上11 in the face of something DESPITEin a situation where there are many problems, difficulties, or dangers 面对某事物〔指问题、困难、危险〕12 on the face of it SEEMused to say that something seems true but that you think there may be other facts about it which are not yet clear 从表面上看13 the face of something 14 DNmountain/cliff 山/悬崖 the face of a mountain, cliff etc is a steep vertical surface or side 〔山、悬崖等的〕正面；坡面15. clock 钟TMC the front part of a clock or watch, where the numbers and hands are 钟面；表面 →5 see picture at 见图 clock, watch16 lose face ASHAMEDif you lose face, you do something which makes you seem weak, stupid etc, and which makes people respect you less 丢脸，失面子17 save face ADMIREif you do something to save face, you do it so that people will not lose their respect for you 保全面子18 disappear/vanish from/off the face of the earth DISAPPEARused to say that you have no idea where someone is and have not seen them in a very long time 从地球上消失〔用于表示不知道某人在哪里，长久没有见到他们〕19 on the face of the earth used when you are emphasizing a statement to mean ‘in the whole world’ 天底下，世界上〔用于强调〕20. somebody’s face doesn’t fit WRONG/UNSUITABLEused to say that someone will not get or keep a particular job because they are not the kind of person that the employer wants 某人不合适〔某一职位〕21 set your face against something especially British EnglishAGAINST/OPPOSE to be very determined that something should not happen 坚决反对某事22. mine 矿井TI the part of a mine from which coal, stone etc is cut 采掘面，工作面 → coalface23 outside surface 外表TBB one of the outside surfaces of an object or building 〔物体或建筑物的〕面；表面24. sport 体育运动DS the part of a racket or bat etc that you use to hit the ball 〔球拍的〕拍面；〔球板的〕板面25 in your face spoken informalHONEST behaviour, criticisms, remarks etc that are in your face are very direct and often shocking or surprising 〔行为、批评、评论等〕当面的，直截了当的，不留情面的26. get in somebody’s face spoken informal if someone gets in your face, they really annoy you 惹某人生气27. get out of my face spoken informal used to tell someone in an impolite way to go away because they are annoying you 滚开28 what’s his face/what’s her face spoken informalNAME OF A PERSON used as a way of talking about someone when you cannot remember their name 那个叫什么名字的人29 put your face on informalDCB to put make-up on 化妆 → blow up in somebody’s face at blow up, → put on a brave face at brave1(3), → do something till you’re blue in the face at blue1(4), → have egg on your face at egg1(5), → face-to-face, → fly in the face of at fly1(18), → laugh in somebody’s face at laugh1(11), → long face at long1(12), → not just a pretty face at pretty2(4), → show your face at show1(15), → shut your face at shut1(2), → a slap in the face at slap2(2), → be staring somebody in the face at stare1(2), → a straight face at straight2(8), → wipe something off the face of the earth at wipe1(8), → wipe the smile/grin off somebody’s face at wipe1(7), → have something written all over your face at write(10) COLLOCATIONS – Meanings 1 & 2adjectivespretty/beautiful/handsome etc 漂亮的/美丽的/英俊的等Her face was beautiful in the morning light. 她的脸在晨曦的映衬下明媚动人。round/oval/square 圆的/鹅蛋形的/方正的Her face was round and jolly. 她的脸圆圆的，表情很快活。thin/narrow 瘦的/窄的Tears rolled down her thin face. 泪水从她瘦削的脸庞滑落。pale/dark 苍白的/黝黑的His face suddenly became pale and I thought he was going to faint. 他突然脸色煞白，我以为他要晕倒了。nan angular face (=so thin that you can see the bones)She stared at his dark, angular face.sad/serious 悲伤的/严肃的Maggie looked at him with a sad face. 玛吉看着他，一脸悲伤。happy/smiling 开心的/微笑的Shelley looked at the children’s happy faces. 谢利看着孩子们开心的笑脸。na grinning faceHe looked down at the boy’s grinning face.angry 生气的nBeth’s angry face stared fiercely at her husband.worried/anxious 担心的/忧虑的nMy father watched us go with a worried face.puzzled 困惑的nHe looked at his son’s puzzled face.blank/impassive (=showing no emotion or thoughts) 茫然的/冷漠的nWhat was she really thinking behind that blank face?wrinkled/lined (=with a lot of small lines, especially because of old age) 布满皱纹的nHis wrinkled face must once have been handsome.scowling (=showing that you are not pleased about something) 不悦的nHe looked around and saw his boss's scowling face behind him.a long face (=an unhappy expression) 拉长的脸nWhat’s the long face for?verbssomebody’s face goes/turns red (=becomes red) 某人脸红了His face went red with embarrassment. 他窘得涨红了脸。somebody’s face goes/turns pale (=becomes pale) 某人的脸煞白I saw her face go pale when he walked in. 他走进来的时候，我看到她脸色煞白。somebody’s face lights up/brightens (=they start to look happy) 某人眉开眼笑nDenise’s face lit up when she heard the news.somebody’s face darkens (=they start to look angry or threatening) 某人的脸阴沉下来nShe handed him the letter and his face darkened.somebody’s face falls (=they look sad or disappointed) 某人脸色一沉nHer face fell when she saw who it was.pull/make a face (=to change your expression to make people laugh or to show you are angry, disappointed etc) 做鬼脸；拉长脸nHere’s a funny photo of Joe pulling a face.nsomebody’s face is contorted with anger/rage (=someone’s face is twisted out of its normal shape because they are angry)Eve’s face was contorted with anger as she picked up the broken vase.phrasesa look/expression on somebody’s face 某人脸上的神情She had a rather surprised look on her face. 她的表情相当惊讶。nI could tell by the look on Dan’s face that he was disappointed.a smile/grin/frown on somebody’s face 某人脸上的微笑/咧嘴笑/皱眉There was a mischievous grin on her face. 她一脸坏笑。nHe was reading the newspaper with a frown on his face.you can see something in somebody’s face (=you know what someone is feeling from the expression on their face) 你能看见某人脸上的某种表情She could see the despair in his face. 她能看出他脸上的失望之情。something is written all over somebody’s face (=their feelings can be seen very clearly in their expression) 某种感情写在某人脸上nYou’re jealous – it’s written all over your face!nyou should have seen somebody’s face (=used to say that someone was very angry, surprised etc)You should have seen his face when I told him that I was resigning.na face like thunder (=a very angry expression)The boss had a face like thunder when he arrived this morning.Examples from the Corpus
face• The cliff face was starting to crumble into the sea.• I could see the children's happy faces.• I kissed her face, which was moist and feverish.• It's weird, but when she's asleep she looks real young, even though her face is all puffy.• One of the victims had scratches all over his face.• His face was like wax and his eyes stared like a doll's.• His face was a mask, friendly, but in an impersonal way.• She is one of the many faces of poverty; she is one of the many faces of the welfare system.• There were many unsuccessful attempts to climb the North Face of Mount Everest.• We climbed the north face of Mount Rainier.• Jodi has such a pretty face.• Breeze looked up, meaning to expostulate, but was silenced by what she saw in her sister's face.• I want to see dozens and dozens of strange faces.• One of the faces of the cube has a line across it.new/different face• Now, board-certified plastic surgeons appear on your television screen to sell you a new face.• But there were far too few new faces, and far too many head office honchos.• The imposing and inviting new face of the building dominates the prospect of the site by evening.• However, this theory largely ignores the process of learning new faces and new identities.• It was a Series that produced a stream of new faces to help pull the game toward the new millennium.• The new faces do include chat show host Chrystal Rose and Dily Braimoh.north face• Menace lurks in the huge, north facing cliffs of Ben Nevis.• Contrary to popular belief, a conservatory can be placed on any wall, including north facing walls.• However, if this is north facing it may make more sense to move it to a sunnier position.• An opening on El Castillo's north face leads inside to an ascending staircase.• Sheltering the village with is impressive yet formidable presence is the north face of the Eiger.• The stairs seem like the north face of the Eiger, the temperature sheer hell.• There are other groups of these huts on the north face of Beinn Tart a Mhill.• So the total effect was like bedding down for the night on the north face of Kilimanjaro.face2 ●●● S1 W1 verb [transitive] 1 difficult situation 困难的局面DEAL WITH if you face or are faced with a difficult situation, or if a difficult situation faces you, it is going to affect you and you must deal with it 面临〔困难〕，面对〔困境〕2 admit a problem exists 承认问题存在DEAL WITH (also face up to something) to accept that a difficult situation or problem exists, even though you would prefer to ignore it 正视，面对，接受〔困难局面〕3 can’t face CAN'Tif you can’t face something, you feel unable to do it because it seems too unpleasant or difficult 无法正视，无法面对4 talk/deal with SB 与某人交谈/打交道DEAL WITH to talk or deal with someone, when this is unpleasant or difficult for you 面对〔某人〕5 be opposite 在对面OPPOSITE/FACE to be opposite someone or something, or to be looking or pointing in a particular direction 面向，面朝6 opponent/team 对手/队PLAY A GAME OR SPORT to play against an opponent or team in a game or competition 与…比赛，迎战7. face the music informal to accept criticism or punishment for something you have done 〔为自己的所为〕接受批评[惩罚]8. BUILDING 建筑物be faced with stone/concrete etc TBCa building that is faced with stone, concrete etc has a layer of that material on its outside surfaces 以石块/混凝土等砌面[抹面，覆盖]9 face somebody ↔ down phrasal verb especially American English DEAL WITHto deal in a strong and confident way with someone who opposes you 〔用坚定和自信的方式〕压倒，挫败，慑服10 face off phrasal verb American English to fight, argue, or compete with someone, or to get into a position in which you are ready to do this （准备好）战斗，辩论，比赛11 face up to something phrasal verb DEAL WITHto accept and deal with a difficult fact or problem 勇于面对〔难以接受的事实或问题〕n COLLOCATIONSnounsface a problemShe told me about some of the problems she was facing.face a difficultyThe hotel’s owners were facing financial difficulties.face a challengeThe coal industry faces serious challenges.face the task of doing somethingHe faced the task of preparing a three-course meal for 50 people.face a dangerHe has the courage to face danger in spite of fear.face opposition (=deal with strong disagreement)The government faced opposition from the Liberal Democrats.face charges (=be accused of a crime and have to go to a court of law)He faces charges of fraud and theft.face an uncertain/difficult futureThe company is facing an uncertain future.face the prospect of something (=something in the future is going to affect you and you will have to deal with it)Many coastal cities face the prospect of disastrous flooding.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
face• Latin America faces a growing debt problem.• This report highlights some of the problems faced by learners of English.• Today's violence highlights the problems faced by the government here.• Bedworth, now 19, is facing charges under the Computer Misuse Act, 1990.• They served notice that conservative nominees face delay or worse.• They stood facing each other for a few minutes.• You're going to have to face her sooner or later.• Caught in a green translucent wave were two tiny sea-horses facing in opposite directions, one frolicking, the other melancholy.• Dean turned to face me.• The seat facing mine was empty.• UCLA will face North Carolina tonight at Pauley Pavilion.• Hughes was the second prominent researcher at Georgetown to face problems because of reproductive research.• My house faces the bay.• Weber is facing the biggest challenge of his career.• McManus knew he was facing the biggest challenge of his career.• As at all his power stations, Scott faced the building in a fine Worcestershire brick that has weathered to a lovely pinky-brown.• The new administration faces the difficult task of rebuilding the country's economy.• The Jets face the Dolphins in two weeks.• We had to sit with our backs to the wall, facing the door.• Courtney's apartment faces the harbour.• The crying continued after that, and continues, but now with other parents who face the same kinds of problems.• If found guilty, Jones could face up to 20 years in jail.• She stood straight as a wand, facing us.• He was faced with the task of breaking the bad news to the boy's relatives.facing ... problems• As the owners are aging, they are facing considerable problems.• But the Church is facing major problems.• Sybase is not the only technology company facing problems.• They learned by facing real problems and real consequences.• Birds can not be conserved by protection in Britain if they are facing greater problems elsewhere.• In the United States young hopefuls are facing similar problems in getting flying jobs with the airlines.• Between 1974 and 1995, the number of poorer renters facing serious housing problems jumped by two-thirds, to 6 million.• As a result, the paper-producing countries of the world are now facing severe problems of ground and water contamination by dioxins.face the fact that• Perhaps he did, but he also had to face the fact that all economic life was a mortal struggle.• It was anguishing to face the fact that, all other options tried, reconciliation still did not occur.• I felt loads better after the talk even though I had to face the fact that I had been wrong.• She had to face the fact that she still missed him.• We have to face the fact that there is a bigger risk of nuclear proliferation at present than the world has ever known.• He was very soon to be forced to face the fact that things had moved on since 1939.• We have to face the fact that we'll be playing teams that are better than we are.• Speak out from the pulpit and face the fact that wife beating is sinful.• You need to find the courage to face the fact that your fears are unreal.have to face• Only relatively rarely would one community of humans have to face and deal with another.• Now he would have to face Gina's displeasure.• He'd have to face Helen sooner or later, so better sooner.• Of course, Clinton may not have to face his Generation X constituents again, but members of Congress will.• In the end, he would have to face Hooker with fewer men than he had employed against Burnside.• One day you're going to have to face it, either by telling me, or telling some one.• Such theories have to face the obvious objection that brain processes and mental phenomena seem utterly unalike.• He pushed open the screen hardly expecting to have to face the old man alone.turned to face• Climbing from the fence, she turned to face him.• It can not move and shoot in the same turn, except that it can be turned to face its intended target.• Lee turned to face Philip and Philip knew immediately what was going to happen.• I entered and with equal impassivity turned to face the corridor.• We had our backs to them because we had turned to face the direction where the enemy was firing at us from.• Willie turned to face the fire, his head bowed over the range.• Finally, Converse turned to face them.• They turned to face us, and the sight of them did nothing for our confidence.Origin face1 (1200-1300) Old French Latin facies “form, face”, from facere “to make”face1 noun →10-19 →20-29
→COLLOCATIONS1face2 verb →n COLLOCATIONS1LDOCE OnlineChinese
→COLLOCATIONS1face2 verb →n COLLOCATIONS1LDOCE OnlineChinese
front Corpus your part of head, the
See ldoce4473jpg for more
face
face1 S1 W1 /feɪs/ 
noun [countable]
1. FRONT OF YOUR HEAD the front part of your head, where your eyes, nose, and mouth are:
She had a beautiful face.
Her face was white with fear.
A big smile spread across his face.
I felt like punching him in the face.
► You say that something is on sb’s face, not ‘in sb’s face’: You’ve got a mark on your face.
2. EXPRESSION an expression on someone’s face:
I’ll never forget my father’s face – I’d never seen him so upset before.
3. keep a straight face to not laugh or smile, even though something is funny
4. pale-faced/round-faced etc having a face that has a particular colour or shape:
a pale-faced youth ⇨ red-faced
5. grim-faced/serious-faced etc showing a particular expression on your face:
Negotiators emerged grim-faced after the day’s talks. ⇨ barefaced, po-faced, poker-faced, stony-faced
6. PERSON a person
new/different face (=someone who you have not seen before)
There are a few new faces in class this year.
Gordon is a familiar face (=someone who you know or have seen many times before) at the Shrewsbury Flower Show.
It’s the same old faces (=people who you see often, especially too often) at our meetings every week.
famous/well-known face (=someone who is famous from television, magazines, films etc)
She looked around at the sea of faces (=lots of people seen together) in the cafeteria.
7. face to face
a. if two people are standing face to face, they are very close and are looking at each other
meet somebody/talk to somebody/explain something etc face to face (=to meet someone and talk to them, instead of just hearing about them, talking to them on the phone etc)
I’ve never met her face to face.
‘You could have just phoned.’ ‘I wanted to explain things face to face.’
come face to face/find yourself face to face (with somebody) (=to meet someone, especially in a way that surprises or frightens you)
At that moment he came face to face with Sergeant Burke.
The two men stood face to face without a word.
b. if you come face to face with something difficult, you experience it and have to deal with it:
It was the first time he’d ever come face to face with death.
bring somebody face to face with something
Sometimes one is brought face to face with facts which cannot be ignored. ⇨ face-to-face
8. say something/tell somebody something to their face if you say something unpleasant to someone’s face, you say it to them directly, rather than to other people:
I told him to his face just what I thought of him.
9. face down/downwards with the face or front towards the ground:
Keith was lying face down on the bed.
10. face up/upwards with the face or front towards the sky:
The body was lying face up in the rain.
11. in the face of something in a situation where there are many problems, difficulties, or dangers:
It is amazing how Daniels has survived in the face of such strong opposition from within the party.
12. on the face of it used to say that something seems true but that you think there may be other facts about it which are not yet clear:
It looks, on the face of it, like a minor change in the regulations.
On the face of it, his suggestion makes sense.
13. the face of something
a. the nature or character of an organization, industry, system etc, and the way it appears to people:
technology that has changed the face of society
Is this the new face of the Tory party?
the ugly/unacceptable/acceptable face of something (=the qualities of an organization, industry etc which people find unacceptable or acceptable)
the unacceptable face of capitalism
b. the general appearance of a particular place:
the changing face of the landscape
14. MOUNTAIN/CLIFF the face of a mountain, cliff etc is a steep vertical surface or side
face of
He fell and died while attempting to climb the north face of Mont Blanc.
The cliff face was starting to crumble into the sea.
a sheer (=very steep) rock face
15.
CLOCK .the front part of a clock or watch, where the numbers and hands are
16. lose face if you lose face, you do something which makes you seem weak, stupid etc, and which makes people respect you less:
He doesn’t want to back down (=accept defeat in an argument) and risk losing face.
17. save face if you do something to save face, you do it so that people will not lose their respect for you:
Both countries saved face with the compromise.
18. disappear/vanish from/off the face of the earth used to say that you have no idea where someone is and have not seen them in a very long time:
I haven’t seen Paul in ages; he seems to have vanished off the face of the earth.
19. on the face of the earth used when you are emphasizing a statement to mean ‘in the whole world’:
If she were the last woman on the face of the earth, I still wouldn’t be interested__
20. sb’s face doesn’t fit used to say that someone will not get or keep a particular job because they are not the kind of person that the employer wants
21. set your face against something especially British English to be very determined that something should not happen:
The local Labour Party has set its face against the scheme.
22. MINE the part of a mine from which coal, stone etc is cut ⇨ coalface
23. OUTSIDE SURFACE one of the outside surfaces of an object or building:
A cube has six faces.
24. SPORT the part of a racket or bat etc that you use to hit the ball
25. in your face spoken informal behaviour, criticisms, remarks etc that are in your face are very direct and often shocking or surprising:
Bingham has a very ‘in your face’ writing style.
26. get in sb’s face spoken informal if someone gets in your face, they really annoy you
27. get out of my face spoken informal used to tell someone in an impolite way to go away because they are annoying you
28. what’s his face/what’s her face spoken informal used as a way of talking about someone when you cannot remember their name:
I saw old what’s his face in school yesterday.
29. put your face on informal to put make-up on:
I just need to run upstairs and put my face on.
⇨ blow up in sb’s face at blow up(7), ⇨ put on a brave face at brave1(3), ⇨ do something till you’re blue in the face at blue1(4), ⇨ have egg on your face at egg1(5), ⇨ face-to-face, ⇨ fly in the face of at fly1(18), ⇨ laugh in sb’s face at laugh1(11), ⇨ long face at long1(12), ⇨ not just a pretty face at pretty2(4), ⇨ show your face at show1(15), ⇨ shut your face at shut1(2), ⇨ a slap in the face at slap2(2), ⇨ be staring somebody in the face at stare1(2), ⇨ a straight face at straight2(8), ⇨ wipe something off the face of the earth at wipe1(8), ⇨ wipe the smile/grin off sb’s face at wipe1(7), ⇨ have something written all over your face at write(10)
■ adjectives
▪pretty/beautiful/handsome etc Her face was beautiful in the morning light.
▪round/oval/square Her face was round and jolly.
▪thin/narrow Tears rolled down her thin face.
▪pale/dark His face suddenly became pale and I thought he was going to faint.
▪an angular face (=so thin that you can see the bones) She stared at his dark, angular face.
▪sad/serious Maggie looked at him with a sad face.
▪happy/smiling Shelley looked at the children’s happy faces.
▪a grinning face He looked down at the boy’s grinning face.
▪angry Beth’s angry face stared fiercely at her husband.
▪worried/anxious My father watched us go with a worried face.
▪puzzled He looked at his son’s puzzled face.
▪blank/impassive (=showing no emotion or thoughts) What was she really thinking behind that blank face?
▪wrinkled/lined (=with a lot of small lines, especially because of old age) His wrinkled face must once have been handsome.
▪scowling (=one that shows you are not pleased about something) He looked around and saw his boss's scowling face behind him.
▪a long face (=an unhappy expression) What’s the long face for?
■ verbs
▪sb’s face goes/turns red (=becomes red) His face went red with embarrassment.
▪sb’s face goes/turns pale (=becomes pale) I saw her face go pale when he walked in.
▪sb’s face lights up/brightens (=they start to look happy) Denise’s face lit up when she heard the news.
▪sb’s face darkens (=they start to look angry or threatening) She handed him the letter and his face darkened.
▪sb’s face falls (=they look sad or disappointed) Her face fell when she saw who it was.
▪pull/make a face (=to change your expression to make people laugh or to show you are angry, disappointed etc) Here’s a funny photo of Joe pulling a face.
▪sb’s face is contorted with anger/rage (=someone’s face is twisted out of its normal shape because they are angry) Eve’s face was contorted with anger as she picked up the broken vase.
■ phrases
▪a look/expression on sb’s face She had a rather surprised look on her face. | I could tell by the look on Dan’s face that he was disappointed.
▪a smile/grin/frown on sb’s face There was a mischievous grin on her face. | He was reading the newspaper with a frown on his face.
▪you can see something in sb’s face (=you know what someone is feeling from the expression on their face) She could see the despair in his face.
▪something is written all over sb’s face (=their feelings can be seen very clearly in their expression) You’re jealous – it’s written all over your face__
▪you should have seen sb’s face (=used to say that someone was very angry, surprised etc) You should have seen his face when I told him that I was resigning.
▪a face like thunder (=a very angry expression) The boss had a face like thunder when he arrived this morning.
▪ expression a look on someone’s face that shows what they are thinking or feeling: His expression became more serious as he listened to her story. | She had a contented expression. | He has a very different expression in the next picture.
▪look an expression – used especially with adjectives that describe the expression. Look sounds less formal than expression: She had a sad look on her face. | With a look of relief, he handed her the baby. | What’s that look for? | She gave me a dirty look (=a look that showed she was angry).
▪face used when talking about someone’s expression, especially in the following phrases: You should have seen his face __ | Look at my face . Am I bothered? | The boys were making faces (=making strange, silly, or rude expressions which show that you dislike someone)through the window.
face2 S1 W1 verb [transitive]
1. DIFFICULT SITUATION if you face or are faced with a difficult situation, or if a difficult situation faces you, it is going to affect you and you must deal with it:
Emergency services are facing additional problems this winter.
The President faces the difficult task of putting the economy back on its feet.
McManus is facing the biggest challenge of his career.
As the project comes to an end, many workers now face an uncertain future.
He must face the prospect of financial ruin.
be faced with something
I was faced with the awful job of breaking the news to the girl’s family.
the difficulties faced by the police
If he is found guilty, he faces up to 12 years in jail.
face charges/prosecution (=have legal charges brought against you)
He was the first member of the former government to face criminal charges.
2. ADMIT A PROBLEM EXISTS (also face up to something) to accept that a difficult situation or problem exists, even though you would prefer to ignore it:
Many couples refuse to face the fact that there are problems in their marriage.
You’ve got to face facts, Rachel. You can’t survive on a salary that low.
He had to face the awful truth that she no longer loved him.
Face it, kid. You’re never going to be a rock star.
3. can’t face if you can’t face something, you feel unable to do it because it seems too unpleasant or difficult:
I don’t want to go back to college – I just can’t face it.
I can’t face the thought of going into town when it’s this hot.
She couldn’t face the prospect of another divorce.
can’t face doing something
He couldn’t face driving all the way to Los Angeles.
4. TALK/DEAL WITH SOMEBODY to talk or deal with someone, when this is unpleasant or difficult for you:
You’re going to have to face him sooner or later.
I don’t know how I’m going to face her after what happened.
The accident left her feeling depressed and unable to face the world (=be with people and live a normal life).
5. BE OPPOSITE to be opposite someone or something, or to be looking or pointing in a particular direction:
The two men stood facing each other, smiling.
When he turned to face her, he seemed annoyed.
Lunch is served on the terrace facing the sea.
south-facing/west-facing etc
a south-facing garden
face north/east etc
The dining room faces east.
6. OPPONENT/TEAM to play against an opponent or team in a game or competition:
Martinez will face Robertson in tomorrow’s final.
7. face the music informal to accept criticism or punishment for something you have done
8. BUILDING be faced with stone/concrete etc a building that is faced with stone, concrete etc has a layer of that material on its outside surfaces
■ nouns
▪face a problem She told me about some of the problems she was facing.
▪face a difficulty The hotel’s owners were facing financial difficulties.
▪face a challenge The coal industry faces serious challenges.
▪face the task of doing something He faced the task of preparing a three-course meal for 50 people.
▪face a danger He has the courage to face danger in spite of fear.
▪face opposition (=deal with strong disagreement) The government faced opposition from the Liberal Democrats.
▪face charges (=be accused of a crime and have to go to a court of law) He faces charges of fraud and theft.
▪face an uncertain/difficult future The company is facing an uncertain future.
▪face the prospect of something (=something in the future is going to affect you and you will have to deal with it) Many coastal cities face the prospect of disastrous flooding.
face somebody ↔ down phrasal verb especially American English
to deal in a strong and confident way with someone who opposes you:
Harrison successfully faced down the mob of angry workers.
face off phrasal verb American English
to fight, argue, or compete with someone, or to get into a position in which you are ready to do this:
The two candidates will face off in a televised debate on Friday.
face up to something phrasal verb
to accept and deal with a difficult fact or problem:
They’ll never offer you another job; you might as well face up to it.
She had to face up to the fact that he was guilty.
| I |
noun [countable] Date: 1200-1300
Language: Old French
Origin: Latin facies 'form, face', from facere 'to make'
Language: Old French
Origin: Latin facies 'form, face', from facere 'to make'
1. FRONT OF YOUR HEAD the front part of your head, where your eyes, nose, and mouth are:
► You say that something is on sb’s face, not ‘in sb’s face’: You’ve got a mark on your face.
2. EXPRESSION an expression on someone’s face:
3. keep a straight face to not laugh or smile, even though something is funny
4. pale-faced/round-faced etc having a face that has a particular colour or shape:
5. grim-faced/serious-faced etc showing a particular expression on your face:
6. PERSON a person
new/different face (=someone who you have not seen before)
famous/well-known face (=someone who is famous from television, magazines, films etc)
7. face to face
a. if two people are standing face to face, they are very close and are looking at each other
meet somebody/talk to somebody/explain something etc face to face (=to meet someone and talk to them, instead of just hearing about them, talking to them on the phone etc)
come face to face/find yourself face to face (with somebody) (=to meet someone, especially in a way that surprises or frightens you)
b. if you come face to face with something difficult, you experience it and have to deal with it:
bring somebody face to face with something
8. say something/tell somebody something to their face if you say something unpleasant to someone’s face, you say it to them directly, rather than to other people:
9. face down/downwards with the face or front towards the ground:
10. face up/upwards with the face or front towards the sky:
11. in the face of something in a situation where there are many problems, difficulties, or dangers:
12. on the face of it used to say that something seems true but that you think there may be other facts about it which are not yet clear:
13. the face of something
a. the nature or character of an organization, industry, system etc, and the way it appears to people:
the ugly/unacceptable/acceptable face of something (=the qualities of an organization, industry etc which people find unacceptable or acceptable)
b. the general appearance of a particular place:
14. MOUNTAIN/CLIFF the face of a mountain, cliff etc is a steep vertical surface or side
face of
15.
CLOCK .the front part of a clock or watch, where the numbers and hands are
16. lose face if you lose face, you do something which makes you seem weak, stupid etc, and which makes people respect you less:
17. save face if you do something to save face, you do it so that people will not lose their respect for you:
18. disappear/vanish from/off the face of the earth used to say that you have no idea where someone is and have not seen them in a very long time:
19. on the face of the earth used when you are emphasizing a statement to mean ‘in the whole world’:
20. sb’s face doesn’t fit used to say that someone will not get or keep a particular job because they are not the kind of person that the employer wants
21. set your face against something especially British English to be very determined that something should not happen:
22. MINE the part of a mine from which coal, stone etc is cut ⇨ coalface
23. OUTSIDE SURFACE one of the outside surfaces of an object or building:
24. SPORT the part of a racket or bat etc that you use to hit the ball
25. in your face spoken informal behaviour, criticisms, remarks etc that are in your face are very direct and often shocking or surprising:
26. get in sb’s face spoken informal if someone gets in your face, they really annoy you
27. get out of my face spoken informal used to tell someone in an impolite way to go away because they are annoying you
28. what’s his face/what’s her face spoken informal used as a way of talking about someone when you cannot remember their name:
29. put your face on informal to put make-up on:
⇨ blow up in sb’s face at blow up(7), ⇨ put on a brave face at brave1(3), ⇨ do something till you’re blue in the face at blue1(4), ⇨ have egg on your face at egg1(5), ⇨ face-to-face, ⇨ fly in the face of at fly1(18), ⇨ laugh in sb’s face at laugh1(11), ⇨ long face at long1(12), ⇨ not just a pretty face at pretty2(4), ⇨ show your face at show1(15), ⇨ shut your face at shut1(2), ⇨ a slap in the face at slap2(2), ⇨ be staring somebody in the face at stare1(2), ⇨ a straight face at straight2(8), ⇨ wipe something off the face of the earth at wipe1(8), ⇨ wipe the smile/grin off sb’s face at wipe1(7), ⇨ have something written all over your face at write(10)
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| II |
verb [transitive]1. DIFFICULT SITUATION if you face or are faced with a difficult situation, or if a difficult situation faces you, it is going to affect you and you must deal with it:
be faced with something
face charges/prosecution (=have legal charges brought against you)
2. ADMIT A PROBLEM EXISTS (also face up to something) to accept that a difficult situation or problem exists, even though you would prefer to ignore it:
3. can’t face if you can’t face something, you feel unable to do it because it seems too unpleasant or difficult:
can’t face doing something
4. TALK/DEAL WITH SOMEBODY to talk or deal with someone, when this is unpleasant or difficult for you:
5. BE OPPOSITE to be opposite someone or something, or to be looking or pointing in a particular direction:
south-facing/west-facing etc
face north/east etc
6. OPPONENT/TEAM to play against an opponent or team in a game or competition:
7. face the music informal to accept criticism or punishment for something you have done
8. BUILDING be faced with stone/concrete etc a building that is faced with stone, concrete etc has a layer of that material on its outside surfaces
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face somebody ↔ down phrasal verb especially American English
to deal in a strong and confident way with someone who opposes you:
face off phrasal verb American English
to fight, argue, or compete with someone, or to get into a position in which you are ready to do this:
face up to something phrasal verb
to accept and deal with a difficult fact or problem:
To beam is to have a big happy smile on your face.* beam 指笑逐颜开。 To frown is to make a serious, angry or worried expression by bringing your eyebrows closer together so that lines appear on your forehead.* frown 指皱眉、蹙额。 To glare orglower is to look in an angry, aggressive way.* glare 和 glower 指怒目而视、咄咄逼人地瞪眼。 To grimace is to make an ugly expression with your face to show pain, disgust, etc.* grimace 指因痛苦、厌恶等面目扭曲。 To scowl is to look at someone in an angry or annoyed way.* scowl 指怒视。 To smirk is to smile in a silly or unpleasant way that shows that you are pleased with yourself, know something that other people do not know, etc.* smirk 指傻笑、得意地笑，以示自鸣得意、知他人所不知等。 To sneer is to show that you have no respect for someone by turning your upper lip upwards.* sneer 指翘起上唇嗤笑、讥笑，以示轻蔑。
To beam is to have a big happy smile on your face.* beam 指笑逐颜开。 To frown is to make a serious, angry or worried expression by bringing your eyebrows closer together so that lines appear on your forehead.* frown 指皱眉、蹙额。 To glare orglower is to look in an angry, aggressive way.* glare 和 glower 指怒目而视、咄咄逼人地瞪眼。 To grimace is to make an ugly expression with your face to show pain, disgust, etc.* grimace 指因痛苦、厌恶等面目扭曲。 To scowl is to look at someone in an angry or annoyed way.* scowl 指怒视。 To smirk is to smile in a silly or unpleasant way that shows that you are pleased with yourself, know something that other people do not know, etc.* smirk 指傻笑、得意地笑，以示自鸣得意、知他人所不知等。 To sneer is to show that you have no respect for someone by turning your upper lip upwards.* sneer 指翘起上唇嗤笑、讥笑，以示轻蔑。
especially
usually
especially