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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Relevance
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
Ticketmaster also faces a separate lawsuit from the Federal Trade Commission and seven states. — James Laforge, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026 On paper, Boise State football faces one of its easier opponents of the season this weekend. — Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 21 Oct. 2026 Lander, who received endorsements from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and other progressive Democrats, faces Republican nominee Jennifer Moore in the general election. — ABC News, 21 Oct. 2026 Farwell faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison if convicted. — Matt Schooley, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026 The company also faces its Artemis III interim design review and a critical design review for an upcoming landing demonstration mission in 2028. — Josh Dinner, Space.com, 21 Oct. 2026 Collins faces a tough reelection fight against Democrat Troy Jackson, whose campaign has gained momentum despite a late start and trails her fundraising by less than $3 million. — Patrick Whittle, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2026 Prosecutors said Wilcox faces a maximum sentence of 74 years to life in prison. — Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 15 Oct. 2026 If convicted, Love faces a $250,000 fine and up to 20 years in prison. — Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 14 Oct. 2026
Noun
The women wore maroon unitards with subtle puffed sleeves, while Danchig-Waring’s tank unitard featured two faces in profile, each hugging a side of his waist. — Laura Regensdorf, Vogue, 20 Oct. 2026 Lake Mead and Lake Powell are the visible faces of the Southwest’s critical water problem, as the Colorado River — which supplies water to nearly 40 million people — shrinks due to a combination of climate change and human demand. — Laura Paddison, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026 Penalties increase if offenders cover their faces or someone is injured. — ABC News, 20 Oct. 2026 Large swaths of the film are composed of close-ups of people’s faces or hands, giving seemingly mundane exchanges and gestures — say, a moment when Evans, unimpressed with Holmes’s egg-whisking technique, confiscates the bowl — greater weight. — Alex Barasch, Vulture, 19 Oct. 2026 Overwhelmed police forces often failed to intervene as thousands of vandals, many wearing masks and caps that hid their faces, shattered storefront windows and walked off with merchandise. — Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026 The meeting attendees at AP6 had the faces of people accustomed to scrutiny. — Gideon Lewis-Kraus, New Yorker, 19 Oct. 2026 On Monday, the studio released the film’s poster, which can be seen below and shows the stars’ faces stacked vertically. — Ryan Gajewski, HollywoodReporter, 19 Oct. 2026 And [the American Girl brand] encouraged me to really open it up to new faces and new characters in order to launch her as an adult and show that this is a different time and a different age. — Jennifer Maas, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for faces
Verb
  • Mazzoli, who fronts an electro-acoustic band in addition to her operatic career, selected the Saunders novel, turning the book into a close to three hour opera, with her longtime lyricist Royce Vavrek.
    — Caitlin Huston, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026
  • The model fronts Awe Inspired’s Nocturne campaign for fall 2026, taking on Inanna, Persephone and Medusa across three chapters.
    — Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2026
Verb
  • And a rookie cop confronts an otherworldly threat in a remote Korean village.
    — Lisa Wong Macabasco, Vogue, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Meanwhile, Egypt moved toward potentially providing military assistance to Saudi Arabia as the kingdom confronts the growing Houthi threat.
    — Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 19 Oct. 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
  • When Jay encounters a giant squid being chased by a mammoth sperm whale, he’s unwittingly entangled in the former’s tentacles and swallowed up in one extended, terrifying sequence.
    — David Mack, CNN Money, 15 Oct. 2026
  • An operational problem is resolved before the customer encounters it.
    — Ozan Ozerk, Forbes.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • This was especially important on Wildwood, which features a huge range of costumes; in the city sequences everyone is dressed in modern clothing, whereas in the forest characters have more fantastical looks.
    — Andrew Webster, The Verge, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Gap is one of the first mass brands to pursue a major integration, encouraging users to try on Gap products and share their looks within the app.
    — Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 22 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • These boutiques offer distinct expressions of each house, while their facades contribute to a streetscape with an individual character.
    — Fairchild Studio, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026
  • More than 70,000 police officers fanned out in Paris and other cities while stores boarded up their facades after last week’s riots.
    — Ellen Francis, Washington Post, 24 Oct. 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
  • Employees are using a chlorine solution with chemical cleaners to sanitize food contact surfaces while dish machine is inoperable.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Chalking, per university rules that dictate when, where and how students can protest, is not allowed on walls and vertical surfaces.
    — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 25 Oct. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Faces.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/faces. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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