face

n. [ F., from L. facies form, shape, face, perh. from facere to make (see Fact); or perh. orig. meaning appearance, and from a root meaning to shine, and akin to E. fancy. Cf. Facetious. ] 1. The exterior form or appearance of anything; that part which presents itself to the view; especially, the front or upper part or surface; that which particularly offers itself to the view of a spectator. [ 1913 Webster ]

A mist . . . watered the whole face of the ground. Gen. ii. 6. [ 1913 Webster ]

Lake Leman wooes me with its crystal face. Byron. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. That part of a body, having several sides, which may be seen from one point, or which is presented toward a certain direction; one of the bounding planes of a solid; as, a cube has six faces. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. (Mach.) (a) The principal dressed surface of a plate, disk, or pulley; the principal flat surface of a part or object. (b) That part of the acting surface of a cog in a cog wheel, which projects beyond the pitch line. (c) The width of a pulley, or the length of a cog from end to end; as, a pulley or cog wheel of ten inches face. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. (Print.) (a) The upper surface, or the character upon the surface, of a type, plate, etc. (b) The style or cut of a type or font of type. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. Outside appearance; surface show; look; external aspect, whether natural, assumed, or acquired. [ 1913 Webster ]

To set a face upon their own malignant design. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

This would produce a new face of things in Europe. Addison. [ 1913 Webster ]

We wear a face of joy, because
We have been glad of yore. Wordsworth. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. That part of the head, esp. of man, in which the eyes, cheeks, nose, and mouth are situated; visage; countenance. [ 1913 Webster ]

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread. Gen. iii. 19. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. Cast of features; expression of countenance; look; air; appearance. [ 1913 Webster ]

We set the best faceon it we could. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. (Astrol.) Ten degrees in extent of a sign of the zodiac. Chaucer. [ 1913 Webster ]

9. Maintenance of the countenance free from abashment or confusion; confidence; boldness; shamelessness; effrontery. [ 1913 Webster ]

This is the man that has the face to charge others with false citations. Tillotson. [ 1913 Webster ]

10. Presence; sight; front; as in the phrases, before the face of, in the immediate presence of; in the face of, before, in, or against the front of; as, to fly in the face of danger; to the face of, directly to; from the face of, from the presence of. [ 1913 Webster ]

11. Mode of regard, whether favorable or unfavorable; favor or anger; mostly in Scriptural phrases. [ 1913 Webster ]

The Lord make his face to shine upon thee. Num. vi. 25. [ 1913 Webster ]

My face [ favor ] will I turn also from them. Ezek. vii. 22. [ 1913 Webster ]

12. (Mining) The end or wall of the tunnel, drift, or excavation, at which work is progressing or was last done. [ 1913 Webster ]

13. (Com.) The exact amount expressed on a bill, note, bond, or other mercantile paper, without any addition for interest or reduction for discount; most commonly called face value. McElrath. [ 1913 Webster ]

☞ Face is used either adjectively or as part of a compound; as, face guard or face-guard; face cloth; face plan or face-plan; face hammer. [ 1913 Webster ]

Face ague (Med.), a form of neuralgia, characterized by acute lancinating pains returning at intervals, and by twinges in certain parts of the face, producing convulsive twitches in the corresponding muscles; -- called also tic douloureux. --
Face card, one of a pack of playing cards on which a human face is represented; the king, queen, or jack. --
Face cloth, a cloth laid over the face of a corpse. --
Face guard, a mask with windows for the eyes, worn by workman exposed to great heat, or to flying particles of metal, stone, etc., as in glass works, foundries, etc. --
Face hammer, a hammer having a flat face. --
Face joint (Arch.), a joint in the face of a wall or other structure. --
Face mite (Zool.), a small, elongated mite (Demdex folliculorum), parasitic in the hair follicles of the face. --
Face mold, the templet or pattern by which carpenters, etc., outline the forms which are to be cut out from boards, sheet metal, etc. --
Face plate. (a) (Turning) A plate attached to the spindle of a lathe, to which the work to be turned may be attached. (b) A covering plate for an object, to receive wear or shock. (c) A true plane for testing a dressed surface. Knight. --
Face wheel. (Mach.) (a) A crown wheel. (b) A wheel whose disk face is adapted for grinding and polishing; a lap. --
face value the value written on a financial instrument; same as face{ 13 }. Also used metaphorically, to mean apparent value; as, to take his statemnet at its face value. [ 1913 Webster ]

Cylinder face (Steam Engine), the flat part of a steam cylinder on which a slide valve moves. --
Face of an anvil, its flat upper surface. --
Face of a bastion (Fort.), the part between the salient and the shoulder angle. --
Face of coal (Mining), the principal cleavage plane, at right angles to the stratification. --
Face of a gun, the surface of metal at the muzzle. --
Face of a place (Fort.), the front comprehended between the flanked angles of two neighboring bastions. Wilhelm. --
Face of a square (Mil.), one of the sides of a battalion when formed in a square. --
Face of a
watch, clock, compass, card etc., the dial or graduated surface on which a pointer indicates the time of day, point of the compass, etc. --
Face to face. (a) In the presence of each other; as, to bring the accuser and the accused face to face. (b) Without the interposition of any body or substance. “Now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face.” 1 Cor. xiii. 12. (c) With the faces or finished surfaces turned inward or toward one another; vis à vis; -- opposed to back to back. --
To fly in the face of, to defy; to brave; to withstand. --
To make a face, to distort the countenance; to make a grimace; -- often expressing dislike, annoyance, or disagreement. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. [ imp. & p. p. Faced p. pr. & vb. n. Facing ] 1. To meet in front; to oppose with firmness; to resist, or to meet for the purpose of stopping or opposing; to confront; to encounter; as, to face an enemy in the field of battle. [ 1913 Webster ]

I'll face
This tempest, and deserve the name of king. Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To Confront impudently; to bully. [ 1913 Webster ]

I will neither be facednor braved. Shak. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To stand opposite to; to stand with the face or front toward; to front upon; as, the apartments of the general faced the park; some of the seats on the train faced backward. [ 1913 Webster ]

He gained also with his forces that part of Britain which faces Ireland. Milton. [ 1913 Webster ]

4. To cover in front, for ornament, protection, etc.; to put a facing upon; as, a building faced with marble. [ 1913 Webster ]

5. To line near the edge, esp. with a different material; as, to face the front of a coat, or the bottom of a dress. [ 1913 Webster ]

6. To cover with better, or better appearing, material than the mass consists of, for purpose of deception, as the surface of a box of tea, a barrel of sugar, etc. [ 1913 Webster ]

7. (Mach.) To make the surface of (anything) flat or smooth; to dress the face of (a stone, a casting, etc.); esp., in turning, to shape or smooth the flat surface of, as distinguished from the cylindrical surface. [ 1913 Webster ]

8. To cause to turn or present a face or front, as in a particular direction. [ 1913 Webster ]

To face down, to put down by bold or impudent opposition. “He faced men down.” Prior. --
To face (a thing) out, to persist boldly or impudently in an assertion or in a line of conduct. “That thinks with oaths to face the matter out.” Shak. --
to face the music to admit error and accept reprimand or punishment as a consequence for having failed or having done something wrong; to willingly experience an unpleasant situation out of a sense of duty or obligation; as, as soon as he broke the window with the football, Billy knew he would have to face the music. [ 1913 Webster +PJC ]

v. i. 1. To carry a false appearance; to play the hypocrite. “To lie, to face, to forge.” Spenser. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. To turn the face; as, to face to the right or left. [ 1913 Webster ]

Face about, man; a soldier, and afraid! Dryden. [ 1913 Webster ]

3. To present a face or front. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Having (such) a face, or (so many) faces; as, smooth-faced, two-faced. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. t. to harden (steel) by adding carbon. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. an operation to remove wrinkles and other signs of aging from a person's face.
Syn. -- face lifting, rhytidectomy, rhytidoplasty. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

2. a renovation that improves the outward appearance, as of a building.
Syn. -- face lifting. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

v. t. to perform cosmetic surgery on someone's face.
Syn. -- lift. [ WordNet 1.5 ]

n. 1. One who faces; one who puts on a false show; a bold-faced person. [ Obs. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

There be no greater talkers, nor boasters, nor fasers. Latimer. [ 1913 Webster ]

2. A blow in the face, as in boxing; hence, any severe or stunning check or defeat, as in controversy. [ Collog. ] [ 1913 Webster ]

I should have been a stercoraceous mendicant if I had hollowed when I got a facer. C. Kingsley.

3. a serious difficulty with which one is suddenly faced. [ wns=1 ] [ obsolescent Briticism ] [ WordNet 1.5 ]

adj. 1. allowing one to maintain one's dignity or prestige; designed to avoid admitting something embarrassing; as, a face-saving compromise; -- of actions. [ WordNet 1.5 ]