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1
the front part of the head between the forehead and the chin a pretty/round/freckled face He buried his face in his hands. You should have seen the look on her face when I told her! The expression on his face never changed. At that time, her face was on the covers of all the magazines.
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expression - 2
an expression that is shown on someone's face a sad/happy/smiling face Her face lit up (= showed happiness) when she spoke of the past. His face fell (= showed disappointment, sadness, etc.) when he read the headlines.
- 3 (in adjectives) having the type of face or expression mentioned pale-faced grim-faced person
- 4 (in compounds) used to refer to a person of the type mentioned She looked around for a familiar face. a well-known face on our television screens It's nice to see some new faces here this evening. I'm tired of seeing the same old faces every time we go out! side/surface
- 5 a side or surface of something the north face of the mountain The birds build their nests in the rock face. Ivy covered the front face of the house. How many faces does a cube have? front of clock
- 6 the front part of a clock or watch character/aspect
- 7
face of something the particular character of something the changing face of our city
- 8 face of something a particular aspect of something the unacceptable face of capitalism see in-your-face, typeface, volte-face Topic CollocationsPhysical AppearanceA person may be described as having:eyes
- (bright) blue/green/(dark/light) brown/hazel eyes
- deep-set/sunken/bulging/protruding eyes
- small/beady/sparkling/twinkling/shifty eyes
- piercing/penetrating/steely eyes
- bloodshot/watery/puffy eyes
- bushy/thick/dark/raised/arched eyebrows
- long/dark/thick/curly/false eyelashes/lashes
- a flat/bulbous/pointed/sharp/snub nose
- a straight/a pointy/a Roman/an aquiline nose
- full/thick/thin/pouty lips
- dry/chapped/cracked lips
- flushed/rosy/red/ruddy/pale cheeks
- soft/chubby/sunken cheeks
- white/perfect/crooked/protruding teeth
- a large/high/broad/wide forehead
- a strong/weak/pointed/double chin
- a long/full/bushy/wispy beard
- a full/thin goatee
- a long/thin/bushy/droopy/handlebar/pencil mustache
- pale/fair/olive/dark/tanned skin
- dry/oily/smooth/rough/leathery/wrinkled skin
- a dark/pale/light/sallow/ruddy/olive/swarthy/clear complexion
- deep/fine/small/facial wrinkles
- blonde/blond/fair/(light/dark) brown/(jet-)black/auburn/red/ginger/gray hair
- straight/curly/wavy/frizzy/spiky hair
- thick/thin/fine/bushy/thinning hair
- dyed/bleached/soft/silky/dry/greasy/shiny hair
- long/short/shoulder-length/cropped hair
- a bald/balding/shaved head
- a receding hairline
- a bald patch/spot
- a side/center part
- a long/short/thick/slender/ (disapproving) scrawny neck
- broad/narrow/sloping/rounded/hunched shoulders
- a bare/broad/muscular/small/large chest
- a flat/round/swollen/bulging stomach
- a small/tiny/narrow/slim/slender/28-inch waist
- big/wide/narrow/slim hips
- a straight/bent/arched/broad/hairy back
- thin/slender/muscular arms
- big/large/small/manicured/calloused/gloved hands
- long/short/fat/slender/delicate/bony fingers
- long/muscular/hairy/shapely/ (informal) (often disapproving) skinny/spindly legs
- muscular/chubby/ (informal) (disapproving) flabby thighs/calves
- big/little/small/dainty/wide/narrow/bare feet
- a good/slim/slender/hourglass figure
- be of slim/medium/average/large/athletic/stocky build
- To beam is to have a big happy smile on your face.
- To frown is to make a serious, angry, or worried expression by bringing your eyebrows closer together so that lines appear on your forehead.
- To glare or glower is to look in an angry, aggressive way.
- To grimace is to make an ugly expression with your face to show pain, disgust, etc.
- To scowl is to look at someone in an angry or annoyed way.
- 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.
- To sneer is to show that you have no respect for someone by turning your upper lip upward.
- 1to be obvious or easy to see The answer was staring us in the face.
- 2to be certain to happen Defeat was staring them in the face.
- 1(of a person) with your face and stomach facing upward/downward She lay face down on the bed.
- 2with the front part or surface facing upward/downward Place the card face up on the pile.
- 1to fall so that you are lying on your front
- 2to fail completely, usually causing embarrassment His next television venture fell flat on its face.
- 1despite problems, difficulties, etc. She showed great courage in the face of danger. The campaign continued in the face of great opposition.
- 2as a result of something He was unable to deny the charges in the face of new evidence.
- 1to shut a door hard when someone is trying to come in
- 2to refuse to talk to someone or meet them, in a rude way
front of head
to be unable to avoid something They were staring defeat in the face.
(of a feeling) to be very obvious to other people from the expression on someone's face Guilt was written all over his face.
if a plan, etc. blows up in your face, it goes wrong in a way that causes you damage, embarrassment, etc.
to do something when you are angry that is meant to harm someone else but that also harms you
to disappear completely Keep looking—they can't just have vanished off the face of the earth.
to try to do something as hard and as long as you possibly can but without success You can argue till you're blue in the face, but you won't change my mind.
close to and looking at someone The two have never met face to face before. The room fell silent as she came face to face with the man who had tried to kill her.
in a situation where you have to accept that something is true and deal with it She was at an early age brought face to face with the horrors of war.
to oppose or be the opposite of something that is usual or expected Such a proposal flies in the face of common sense.
to be made to look stupid They were left with egg on their faces when only ten people showed up.
annoying someone by criticizing them or telling them what to do all the time
to show in a very obvious way that you have no respect for someone
(to have) an unhappy or disappointed expression He took one look at her long face and said “What's wrong?”
(usually used in negative sentences and questions) to look straight at someone without feeling embarrassed or ashamed Can you look me in the eye and tell me you're not lying? I'll never be able to look her in the face again!
to be less respected or look stupid because of something you have done synonym humiliate
to produce an expression on your face to show that you do not like someone or something, or in order to make someone laugh Do you think it's funny to make faces behind my back?
used to emphasize that you have particular skills or qualities “I didn't know you could play the piano.” “I'm not just a pretty face, you know!”
used to say that something seems to be good, true, etc. but that this opinion may need to be changed when you know more about it On the face of it, it seems like a great deal. What may, on the face of it, seem obvious often turns out to be far more complicated.
very obvious
to put on makeup
to pretend that you feel confident and happy when you do not I had to put on a brave face and try to show him that I wasn't worried. She put a brave face on her illness.
to avoid or help someone avoid embarrassment She was fired, but she saved face by telling everyone she'd resigned.
to appear among your friends or in public She stayed at home, afraid to show her face.
a rude way of telling someone to be quiet or stop talking
an action that seems to be intended as a deliberate insult to someone
if you keep a straight face, you do not laugh or smile, although you find something funny see straight-faced
to eat a lot of food or too much food
if you say something to someone's face, you say it to them directly rather than to other people He's a liar, and I've told him so to his face many times. compare behind somebody's back
used to refer to a person whose name you cannot remember Are you still working for what's her face?
to destroy or remove someone or something completely
Check pronunciation: face