face

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. The surface of the front of the head from the top of the forehead to the base of the chin and from ear to ear.
2. n. A person: We saw many new faces on the first day of classes.
3. n. A person's countenance: a happy face.
4. n. A contorted facial expression; a grimace: made a face at the prospect of eating lemons.
5. n. Facial cosmetics: put one's face on.
6. n. Outward appearance: the modern face of the city.
7. n. Value or standing in the eyes of others; prestige: lose face.
8. n. Self-assurance; confidence: The team managed to maintain a firm face even in times of great adversity.
9. n. Effrontery; impudence: had the face to question my judgment.
10. n. The most significant or prominent surface of an object, especially:
11. n. The surface presented to view; the front.
12. n. A façade.
13. n. Outer surface: the face of the earth.
14. n. A marked side: the face of a clock; the face of a playing card.
15. n. The right side, as of fabric.
16. n. An exposed, often precipitous surface of rock.
17. n. A planar surface of a geometric solid.
18. n. Any of the surfaces of a rock or crystal.
19. n. The end, as of a mine or tunnel, at which work is advancing.
20. n. The appearance and geologic surface features of an area of land; topography.
21. n. Printing A typeface or range of typefaces.
22. n. Printing The raised printing surface of a piece of type.
23. v. To occupy a position with the face toward: stood and faced the audience.
24. v. To front on: a window that faces the south.
25. v. To confront with complete awareness: had to face the facts.
26. v. To overcome by confronting boldly or bravely: "What this generation must do is face its problems” ( John F. Kennedy).
27. v. To confront with impudence. See Synonyms at defy.
28. v. To be certain to encounter; have in store: An unskilled youth faces a difficult life.
29. v. To bring or to be brought face to face with: "The prospect of military conflict . . . faced us with nightmarish choices” ( Henry A. Kissinger).
30. v. To cause (troops) to change direction by giving a command.
31. v. Games To turn (a playing card) so that the face is up.
32. v. To furnish with a surface or cover of a different material: bronze that is faced with gold foil.
33. v. To line or trim the edge of, especially with contrasting material: face a hem with lace.
34. v. To treat the surface of so as to smooth.
35. v. To be turned or placed with the front toward a specified direction.
36. v. To turn the face in a specified direction.
37. face down To attain mastery over or overcome by confronting in a resolute, determined manner: face down an opponent in a debate; faced the enemy down.
38. face off Sports To start play in ice hockey, lacrosse, and other games by releasing the puck or ball between two opposing players.
39. face up To confront an unpleasant situation with resolution and assurance: had to face up or get out; finally faced up to the problem.
40. idiom. face the music To accept the unpleasant consequences, especially of one's own actions.
41. idiom. in the face In opposition to or defiance of.
42. idiom. on the face of it From appearances alone; apparently: On the face of it, the problem seems minor.
43. idiom. show (one's) face To make an appearance: Don't show your face on my property again.
44. idiom. to (one's) face In the view or hearing of: insulted me to my face.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The front part of the human head, and by extension of the head of any animal, made up of the forehead, eyes, nose, mouth, cheeks, and chin; the visage; the countenance.
2. n. Aspect or expression of the face; look; countenance; manner of regard, as implying approval or disapproval: as, he set his face against it.
3. n. An expressive look; an assumed facial aspect indicative of some feeling, especially one of ridicule, disgust, or the like. See to make a face, below.
4. n. Decent outward appearance; aspect or semblance of propriety.
5. n. Confidence, as indicated by the expression of the countenance; effrontery; audacity; assurance; impudence.
6. n. Front; presence; sight: as in the phrases before the face, in the face, to the face, from the face.
7. n. In anatomy, technically, a part of the head or skull distinguished from the cranium proper or brain-box, the facial region or facies, containing the eyes, nose, and mouth, but not the ears. See facial.
8. n. In entomology, the front of an insect's head between the compound eyes. In descriptions the term is applied to a more or less definite area, which varies for the different orders.
9. n. In botany, the upper or inner or free surface of an organ, as opposed to the back.
10. n. The front or the principal surface of anything; the surface presented to view, or the side or part of a side on which the use of the thing depends: as, the face of the earth or of the waters; the face of a clock (the dial), of a plane (the sole), of a hammer (the striking-surface of the head), of a type (the surface giving the impression), etc.
11. n. A plane surface of a solid; one of the surfaces bounding a solid: as, the face of an arrowhead. Thus, a cube or die has six faces; an octahedron has eight faces.
12. n. That part of the cog of a geared wheel which projects beyond the pitch-line.
13. n. The working or cutting portion of a grinding-wheel, or the edge of any cutting-tool.
14. n. That part of the surface of a valve which comes in contact with the seat.
15. n. In mining, but chiefly in coalmining: Properly, the front of a working; that part of the coal-seam which is being mined. Sometimes also called the working-face.
16. n. Sometimes, improperly, same as back or cleat.
17. n. The superficial appearance or seeming of anything; observable state or condition; aspect in general.
18. n. In astrology, one of thirty-six parts of the zodiac formed by dividing each sign into three equal parts. Each face was assigned to one of the planets—namely, the first face of Aries to Mars, who is the lord of that house, and all the following faces to the sun, Venus, Mercury, the moon, Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars, in regular rotation.
19. n. The words of a written paper, especially of a commercial or legal paper, as a note or judgment, in their apparent or obvious meaning; specifically— the express terms;
20. n. the principal sum due, exclusive of interest accrued by law: as, the face of a draft.
21. n. In arch., same as band, 2 .
22. n. In bookbinding, the front edge or fore edge of a book.
23. To turn the face or front full toward; confront; be or stand in front of or opposite to, literally or figuratively: as, to face an audience; the house faces the sea; we are facing important events.
24. Hence To confront boldly; make a stand against; oppose or defy: as, to face the consequences.
25. To cover or partly cover with something in front.
26. Specifically— Of buildings: as, a house faced with marble.
27. In tailoring, dressmaking, etc., to cover some part of (a garment), as lappets or the hem, with another material. See revers and facing.
28. To smooth or dress the face of, as a stone, etc.
29. To turn the face of upward; expose the face of in dealing: said of a playing-card.
30. Hence— To face it out by sheer audacity.
31. To persist in maintaining (an assertion which is not true); maintain unblushingly and shamelessly; brave, as a charge, with effrontery: as, she faced it out.
32. To appear.
33. To carry a false appearance; play the hypocrite.
34. To brag; rail; vaunt; boast.
35. To turn the face; especially, in military tactics, to turn on the heel to the right or left, or to a reverse position, as at the word of command, right face, left face, or right about face.
36. To deface.
37. To damage or spoil the surface of, as by wear or accident.
38. n. An obsolete form of fesse.
39. n. See the extract.
40. n. In geometry, the angle of two consecutive edges of an angloid.
41. n. In architecture, the outer and generally vertical surface of any part of a building, whether a single stone or course of stones, or a whole side, front, or rear. When a wall is not concealed within by plastering and woodwork it may even be spoken of as having an outer and an inner face. Before a stone is put in place each one of its surfaces may be called a face, but when placed in the wall it has two beds, two joints (vertical), a face, and a back. For a face of a building in the sense of front, see façade.
42. n. In turpentine orcharding, the surface of wood exposed on the side of the trunk of the pine to cause the resin to flow. There may be two or three faces to a tree. A crop consists of about 10,500 faces.
43. n. In fortification, the outer side of a bastion or lunette: in contradistinction to the inner side or flank.
44. n. In mech.: A smooth or polished surface.
45. n. The side of a slide-valve which slides on the seat; the seat or surface on which a slide-valve travels.
46. n. The contact-surface of a valve which lifts from its seat to open the passage through.
47. In post-office usage, to arrange (letters) with their faces in one direction: as, to face the stamped and paid letters.
48. To give a false face or surface to; cause to imitate something else, fraudulently; specifically, to color (tea or coffee) so as to give a false impression of superior quality.
49. In horticulture, to place a layer of apples (usually with the stem ends uppermost or outermost) next the head of (the barrel), so that the fruit will have a uniform and attractive appearance when the barrel is opened.

Wiktionary

1. n. anatomy The front part of the head, featuring the eyes, nose, and mouth and the surrounding area.
2. n. One's facial expression.
3. n. The public image; outward appearance.
4. n. The frontal aspect of something.
5. n. The directed force of something.
6. n. Good reputation; standing in the eyes of others; dignity; prestige. (See lose face, save face).
7. n. geometry Any of the flat bounding surfaces of a polyhedron. More generally, any of the bounding pieces of a polytope of any dimension.
8. n. Any surface; especially a front or outer one.
9. n. The numbered dial of a clock or watch.
10. n. slang The mouth.
11. n. slang Makeup; one's complete facial cosmetic application.
12. n. slang, professional wrestling Short for babyface. A wrestler whose on-ring persona is embodying heroic or virtuous traits. Contrast with heel.
13. n. cricket The front surface of a bat.
14. n. golf The part of a golf club that hits the ball.
15. n. card games The side of the card that shows its value (as opposed to the back side, which looks the same on all cards of the deck).
16. n. typography A typeface.
17. v. transitive, of a person or animal to position oneself or itself so as to have one's face closest to (something).
18. v. transitive, of an object to have its front closest to (something else).
19. v. transitive To deal with (a difficult situation or person).
20. v. intransitive To have the front in a certain direction.
21. v. transitive to have as an opponent
22. v. intransitive (cricket) To be the striking batsman.*

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. 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.
2. n. 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.
3. n. The principal dressed surface of a plate, disk, or pulley; the principal flat surface of a part or object.
4. n. That part of the acting surface of a cog in a cog wheel, which projects beyond the pitch line.
5. n. The width of a pulley, or the length of a cog from end to end.
6. n. The upper surface, or the character upon the surface, of a type, plate, etc.
7. n. The style or cut of a type or font of type.
8. n. Outside appearance; surface show; look; external aspect, whether natural, assumed, or acquired.
9. n. That part of the head, esp. of man, in which the eyes, cheeks, nose, and mouth are situated; visage; countenance.
10. n. Cast of features; expression of countenance; look; air; appearance.
11. n. (Astrol.) Ten degrees in extent of a sign of the zodiac.
12. n. Maintenance of the countenance free from abashment or confusion; confidence; boldness; shamelessness; effrontery.
13. n. 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; ; to the face of, directly to; from the face of, from the presence of.
14. n. Mode of regard, whether favorable or unfavorable; favor or anger; mostly in Scriptural phrases.
15. n. (Mining) The end or wall of the tunnel, drift, or excavation, at which work is progressing or was last done.
16. n. (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.
17. v. To meet in front; to oppose with firmness; to resist, or to meet for the purpose of stopping or opposing; to confront; to encounter.
18. v. To Confront impudently; to bully.
19. v. To stand opposite to; to stand with the face or front toward; to front upon.
20. v. To cover in front, for ornament, protection, etc.; to put a facing upon.
21. v. To line near the edge, esp. with a different material.
22. v. 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.
23. v. (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.
24. v. To cause to turn or present a face or front, as in a particular direction.
25. v. To carry a false appearance; to play the hypocrite.
26. v. To turn the face.
27. v. To present a face or front.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. the side upon which the use of a thing depends (usually the most prominent surface of an object)
2. n. status in the eyes of others
3. v. line the edge (of a garment) with a different material
4. n. a part of a person that is used to refer to a person
5. v. turn so as to expose the face
6. n. a surface forming part of the outside of an object
7. n. a vertical surface of a building or cliff
8. n. the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
9. v. present somebody with something, usually to accuse or criticize
10. v. deal with (something unpleasant) head on
11. v. oppose, as in hostility or a competition
12. v. be opposite
13. n. impudent aggressiveness
14. v. cover the front or surface of
15. n. the striking or working surface of an implement
16. n. the feelings expressed on a person's face
17. n. a contorted facial expression
18. v. be oriented in a certain direction, often with respect to another reference point; be opposite to
19. n. the general outward appearance of something
20. n. the part of an animal corresponding to the human face
21. n. a specific size and style of type within a type family
22. v. turn so as to face; turn the face in a certain direction