face

noun

/feɪs/

Idioms

front of head

enlarge image

the front part of the head, where the eyes, nose and mouth are 脸；面孔

a pretty/pale/round face 漂亮的／苍白的／圆圆的脸
He buried his face in his hands.他双手掩面。
to hide/cover your face隐藏/遮住你的脸
on somebody's face You should have seen the look on her face when I told her!我告诉她的时候你真该看看她的脸色！
The expression on his face never changed.他的面部表情总是一成不变。
in the face She was red in the face with embarrassment.她尴尬得满脸通红。
At that time, her face was on the covers of all the magazines.那时，她的脸出现在所有杂志的封面上。

expression

an expression that is shown on somebody’s face面部表情

a smiling/happy/sad face笑脸；幸福／悲伤的脸
Her face lit up (= showed happiness) when she spoke of the past.她讲到往事时就面露喜色。
His face fell (= showed disappointment, sadness, etc.) when he read the headlines.他读大标题时脸沉了下来。
I could tell by his face it hadn't gone well.从他的表情我可以看出事情不大顺利。
Sue's face was a picture (= she looked very surprised, angry, etc.) as she listened to her husband's speech.休听她丈夫讲话时，脸上露出又惊又气的表情。

person

(in compounds) used to refer to a person of the type mentioned（某类型的）人

She looked around for a familiar face.她环顾四周想找个熟人。
He's a fresh face (= somebody new) at the company.他是公司的新人。
It's nice to see some new faces here this evening.今晚在这儿见到一些新面孔真是太好了。
The movie is full of famous faces.这部电影名角荟萃。
a well-known face on our television screens电视屏幕上的一位名人
I'm tired of seeing the same old faces every time we go out!我厌倦了每次出去都看到同样的老面孔！

Extra Examples

a restaurant where you often see famous faces一家你经常会看到名人的餐馆
I'm so bored with seeing the same old faces!我看到的都是些老面孔，真是烦人！
It's nice to see a friendly face.很高兴看到一张友善的面孔。
I recognize a few faces here.我认得这里有几张面孔。
We're bringing in a lot of fresh faces.我们引进了很多新鲜面孔。
At last—here's a face I know!终于——这是一张我认识的脸！
They want recognizable faces to promote their products.他们希望通过可识别的面孔来宣传他们的产品。
It's a bit disconcerting to wake up and see a strange face.醒来看到一张陌生的脸，有点不安。

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

familiar
old
different
…

verb + face

-faced

(in adjectives) having the type of face or expression mentioned有…面容的；有…表情的

pale-faced面色苍白的
a freckle-faced boy满脸雀斑的男孩
grim-faced表情严肃的
a sad-faced woman一个满脸悲伤的女人

see also baby-faced, fresh-faced, hard-faced, red-faced, shamefaced, sour-faced, stony-faced, straight-faced

More Like This Compound adjectives for physical characteristicsCompound adjectives for physical characteristics

-beaked
-bellied
-billed
-blooded
-bodied
-cheeked
-chested
-eared
-eyed
-faced
-fingered
-footed
-haired
-handed
-headed
-hearted
-hipped
-lidded
-limbed
-mouthed
-necked
-nosed
-skinned
-tailed
-throated
-toothed

side/surface

a side or surface of something（某物的）面，表面

the north face of the mountain山的北坡
the dark face of the moon月亮的黑暗面
A steep path zigzags down the cliff face.一条陡峭的小径在悬崖表面蜿蜒而下。
We could see tiny figures climbing the rock face.我们可以看到几个微小的人影在岩壁上攀爬。
Ivy covered the front face of the house.常春藤覆盖了房子的正面。
A banner hung across the face of the building.一条横幅悬挂在建筑物的正面。
How many faces does a cube have?立方体有几个面？

front of clock

enlarge image

the front part of a clock or watch钟面；表盘

a dial like the face of a clock像钟面一样的表盘

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

front
rear
North
…

phrases

face down
face downwards/downward
face up
…

character/aspect

the particular character of something（事物的某种）特征

face of something the changing face of Britain大不列颠变化中的特征
This discovery changed the whole face of science.这一发现改变了科学的全貌。
with a… face bureaucracy with a human face有人情味的官僚体制

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

human
acceptable
unacceptable
…

face of something a particular aspect of something方面

Social deprivation is the unacceptable face of capitalism.社会贫困是资本主义令人不可接受的方面。
He has become the public face of the company.他已成为公司的公众形象。

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

human
acceptable
unacceptable
…

see also in-your-face, typeface, volte-face

Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French, based on Latin facies ‘form, appearance, face’.

Idioms

be staring somebody in the face

used to describe something that you have failed to see, even though it was obvious and should have been easy to see显而易见（却未发觉）
- The answer was staring us in the face but we never saw it until it was too late.答案就在我们眼前，但我们看到时已经太晚了。
to be certain to happen必定发生
- Defeat was staring them in the face.他们必遭失败。
Topics Doubt, guessing and certaintyc2

be staring something in the face

to be unable to avoid something不可避免
- They were staring defeat in the face.对他们来说，失败不可避免。

be written all over somebody’s face

(of a feeling) to be very obvious to other people from the expression on somebody’s face形之于色；表现得十分明显
- Guilt was written all over his face.他满脸愧疚。

blow up in somebody’s face

if a plan, etc. blows up in your face, it goes badly wrong in a way that causes you damage or makes you feel embarrassed事情失败，害了自己

cut off your nose to spite your face

(informal) to do something when you are angry that is meant to harm somebody else but that also harms you（恼怒之下）伤人害己，损人不利己

disappear/vanish off the face of the earth

to disappear completely完全消失；消逝得无影无踪
- Keep looking—they can't just have vanished off the face of the earth.继续找，他们不可能就从此消失得无影无踪的。

do something till you are blue in the face

(informal) to try to do something as hard and as long as you possibly can but without success徒然拼命地干；徒劳无功
- You can argue till you're blue in the face, but you won't change my mind.你可以费尽口舌，但改变不了我的主意。
Topics Difficulty and failurec2

somebody’s face fits/doesn’t fit

(British English) used to say that somebody will/will not get a particular job or position because they have/do not have the appearance, personality, etc. that the employer wants, even when this should not be important长相（不）合格；性格（不）合适
- If your face fits, you'll get the job.如果你的脸型合适，你就会得到这份工作。
- It doesn't matter how well qualified you are; if your face doesn't fit, you don't stand a chance.资历多好也没用，如果人家看你不顺眼，你就不会有机会。

somebody’s face is like thunder | somebody has a face like thunder

somebody looks very angry某人怒气冲冲；某人满面怒容
- Mr Hibbs came in with a face like thunder.希布斯先生面带怒容走了进来。
Topics Appearancec2, Feelingsc2

face to face (with somebody)

close to and looking at somebody（与某人）面对面
- The two have never met face to face before.两个人过去从未见过面。
- The room fell silent as she came face to face with the man who had tried to kill her.当她与那个试图杀死她的男人面对面时，房间里一片寂静。

face to face with something

in a situation where you have to accept that something is true and deal with it面对某种处境
- She was at an early age brought face to face with the horrors of war.她年幼时就面临战争的恐怖。

face up/down

(of a person) with your face and stomach facing upwards/downwards面朝上／朝下
- She lay face down on the bed.她俯卧在床上。
with the front part or surface facing upwards/downwards正面朝上／朝下；表面冲上／冲下
- Place the card face up on the pile.把纸牌正面朝上放在这一叠的上面。
- She placed the cards face down on the table.她把牌反扣在桌上。

fall flat on your face

to fall so that you are lying on your front摔趴下
to fail completely, usually in an embarrassing way（颜面丢尽地）彻底失败
- His next television venture fell flat on its face.他的下一个电视项目丢人现眼，彻底失败了。
Topics Difficulty and failurec2

feed your face

(informal, usually disapproving) to eat a lot of food or too much food大吃一顿；吃得过饱

fly in the face of something

to oppose or be the opposite of something that is usual or expected悍然不顾；公然违抗；与…相悖
- Such a proposal is flying in the face of common sense.这样的建议违反常识。

have the face to do something

(British English, informal) to do something that other people think is rude or shows a lack of respect, without feeling embarrassed or ashamed居然有脸干某事；恬不知耻做某事
- I don't know how you have the face to complain after everything they've done for you!我不知道他们为你做了这么多之后你还有什么脸去抱怨！

have/be left with egg on/all over your face

(informal) to be made to look stupid使显得愚蠢；出丑；丢脸
- They were left with egg on their faces when only ten people showed up.只有十人到场，他们感到很丢面子。

in somebody’s face

(informal) annoying somebody by criticizing them or telling them what to do all the time批评某人，支使某人（使人恼火）
- Why are you always in my face?为什么你总是当着我的面？

in the face of something

despite problems, difficulties, etc.即使面对（问题、困难等）
- She showed great courage in the face of danger.面对危险她表现出了巨大的勇气。
- The campaign continued in the face of great opposition.尽管遭到强烈反对，这项运动仍在继续。
Topics Dangerc1, Difficulty and failurec1
as a result of something由于；因为
- He was unable to deny the charges in the face of new evidence.面对新的证据，他无法否认这些指控。

laugh in somebody’s face

to show in a very obvious way that you have no respect for somebody当面嘲笑；公然蔑视

laugh on the other side of your face

(British English, informal) to be forced to change from feeling pleased or satisfied to feeling disappointed or annoyed转喜为忧；得意变成失意；笑脸变为苦脸
- He’ll be laughing on the other side of his face when he reads my letter.当他读到我的信时，他的另一边会笑起来。

(pull, wear, etc.) a long face

(to have) an unhappy or disappointed expression闷闷不乐；哭丧着脸；愁眉苦脸
- He took one look at her long face and said ‘What’s wrong?’他看了她一张长脸，问道：“怎么了？”
- The news for the company isn't good, judging from the long faces in the boardroom.从董事会上人们拉长的脸可以看出，对公司来说这不是个好信息。

look somebody in the eye(s)/face

(usually used in negative sentences and questions) to look straight at somebody without feeling embarrassed or ashamed（坦然或问心无愧地）直视某人，正视某人
- Can you look me in the eye and tell me you're not lying?你能问心无愧地看着我说你没撒谎吗？
- She looked her father straight in the eye and answered his question truthfully.她直视着父亲的眼睛，诚实地回答了他的问题。
- I'll never be able to look her in the face again!我再也不能坦然地面对她了！

lose face

to be less respected or look stupid because of something you have done丢脸；失面子
- Many leaders don't want to lose face by admitting failures.许多领导人为免丢脸，不愿承认失败。

loss of face

the state of being less respected by other people or looking stupid because of something you have done丢脸；丢人
- Failure to pass the exams means a massive loss of face for the students and their parents.考试不及格对学生和家长来说意味着巨大的颜面损失。

not just a pretty face

(humorous) used to emphasize that you have particular skills or qualities并非徒有其表；不只脸蛋漂亮
- ‘I didn't know you could play the piano.’ ‘I'm not just a pretty face, you know!’“我不知道你还会弹钢琴呢。”“我可不只是脸蛋儿漂亮，对吧！”

on the face of it

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表面上看
- On the face of it, it seems like a great deal.表面上看来好像很多。
- What may, on the face of it, seem obvious often turns out to be far more complicated.从表面上看，看似显而易见的事情往往事实证明要复杂得多。
Topics Opinion and argumentc2

(as) plain as a pikestaff | (as) plain as day | (as) plain as the nose on your face

very obvious一清二楚；一目了然；显而易见

pull/make faces/a face (at somebody)

to produce an expression on your face to show that you do not like somebody/something or in order to make somebody laugh（对某人）耷拉着脸，板着脸，做鬼脸
- What are you pulling a face at now?你干吗板着脸？
- Do you think it’s funny to make faces behind my back?你觉得在我背后做鬼脸很有趣吗？
Extra Examples
- She made a disgusted face at that and walked away.她摆出一副厌恶的表情，走开了。
- She made a funny face and gave a snorting sort of laugh.她做了个鬼脸，扑哧一声笑了。
Topics Appearancec2

put your face on

(informal) to put on make-up化妆

put on a brave face | put a brave face on something

to pretend that you feel confident and happy when you do not强装自信快乐；佯装满不在乎
- I had to put on a brave face and try to show him that I wasn’t worried.我不得不装出若无其事的样子，在他面前尽量不露出愁容。
- She put a brave face on her illness.她勇敢地面对自己的病痛。

save (somebody’s) face

to avoid or help somebody avoid being embarrassed（使）保全面子
- She was fired, but she saved face by telling everyone she'd resigned.她被解雇了，但她爱面子，逢人便说是她辞职了。

set your face against somebody/something

(especially British English) to be determined to oppose somebody/something坚决反对某人／事物
- Her father had set his face against the marriage.她的父亲坚决反对这门亲事。

show your face

to appear among your friends or in public露面；公开见人
- She stayed at home, afraid to show her face.她待在家里，不敢露面。

shut/slam the door in somebody’s face

to shut a door hard when somebody is trying to come in将某人拒之门外；让某人吃闭门羹
to refuse to talk to somebody or meet them, in a rude way拒绝同某人谈话；拒绝见某人

shut your mouth/face!

(slang) a rude way of telling somebody to be quiet or stop talking（粗暴地要某人停止说话）住口，闭嘴

a slap in the face

an action that seems to be intended as a deliberate way of offending and showing lack of respect for somebody一记耳光；侮辱；打击
- The closure of the school is a slap in the face to the local community.学校的关闭对当地社区来说不啻是一个打击。

a straight face

if you keep a straight face, you do not laugh or smile, although you find something funny绷着的脸；忍着不笑的脸 see also straight-faced

to somebody’s face

if you say something to somebody’s face, you say it to them directly rather than to other people当着某人的面
- He’s a liar, and I’ve told him so to his face many times.他是个骗子，我已经当面告诉过他很多次了。
compare behind somebody’s back

what’s his/her face

(informal) used to refer to a person whose name you cannot remember（指记不起姓名的人）叫…的人
- Are you still working for what's her face?你还在为那个叫什么的女人干活？

wipe somebody/something off the face of the earth | wipe something off the map

to destroy or remove somebody/something completely彻底消灭；全部摧毁

face

verb

/feɪs/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they face	/feɪs/ /feɪs/
he / she / it faces	/ˈfeɪsɪz/ /ˈfeɪsɪz/
past simple faced	/feɪst/ /feɪst/
past participle faced	/feɪst/ /feɪst/
-ing form facing	/ˈfeɪsɪŋ/ /ˈfeɪsɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

be opposite

[transitive, intransitive] to be opposite somebody/something; to have your face or front pointing towards somebody/something or in a particular direction面对；面向；正对

face somebody/something She turned and faced him.她转过身来面对着他。
Most of the rooms face the sea.多数房间朝海。
They face each other across the aisle.他们隔着过道面对面。
face + adv./prep. The terrace faces south.露台朝南。
a north-facing wall面北的墙
a south-east-facing garden一个朝东南的花园
to face outwards/inwards/upwards/downwards面向外/向内/向上/向下
Lie with your palms facing upwards.请手掌朝上躺下来。
Which direction are you facing?你面朝哪个方向？

Extra Examples

The flower turns its head to face the sun.花儿把头转向太阳。
The Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition face each other across the dispatch box.总理和反对党领袖隔着调度箱面对面。
They pray facing the east.他们面朝东方祈祷。
Babies may prefer to be carried facing outwards.婴儿可能更喜欢面朝外抱。
The seating plan had the benches facing inwards toward the central aisle.座位安排是长凳向内面向中央过道。
The bedrooms face onto the courtyard.卧室面向庭院。
Stand with your feet apart and your hands facing upwards.双脚分开站立，双手朝上。
He lay on the ground, facing upwards.他躺在地上，面朝上。
A camera was attached to the ceiling facing downwards.天花板上安装了一个摄像头，摄像头朝下。
The back rooms face north and can be cold.后面的房间朝北，可能会很冷。

Topics Buildingsb1

somebody/something difficult

[transitive] if you face a particular situation, or it faces you, you have to deal with it面临，必须对付（某情况）

face something Farmers face serious challenges in these conditions.在这种情况下，农民面临重重难关。
We are facing a financial crisis.我们正面临一次财政[金融]危机。
to face charges/trial被指控／审判
the problems faced by homeless people无家可归者面临的问题
The project faces numerous difficulties.该项目面临诸多困难。
They face competition from foreign imports.他们面临着来自外国进口产品的竞争。
She has faced criticism from some within her party.她面临党内一些人的批评。
We look at the issues facing schools today.我们会探讨一下现今学校遇到的问题。
the challenges/problems that face the country国家面临的挑战/问题
be faced with something We are faced with the prospect of defeat.我们或会落败。

Extra Examples

The party will have to change its policies to fit the new problems facing society.党必须改变其政策以适应社会面临的新问题。
These are just some of the challenges facing small businesses.这些只是小企业面临的一些挑战。
The main task facing the country is reconstruction after the war.国家面临的主要任务是战后重建。
We face the prospect of defeat.我们面临着失败的前景。
They are facing the threat of redundancy.他们面临着裁员的威胁。
They are faced with the threat of redundancy.他们面临着裁员的威胁。
The health service faces a crisis this winter.今年冬天，卫生服务面临危机。
The country is facing an obesity crisis.该国正面临肥胖危机。
We are faced with competition from young up-and-coming artists.我们面临着来自年轻崭露头角的艺术家的竞争。
The government faces strong opposition to the cuts.政府对削减计划面临强烈反对。
The manager is facing a lot of pressure this season.本赛季主教练面临着很大的压力。
Many believe the country faces a grim future.许多人认为该国面临着严峻的未来。
I think they would feel differently if they were parents facing the same situation.我想，如果他们是父母，面对同样的情况，他们的感受也会有所不同。
Whatever happens, we'll face it together.无论发生什么，我们都会一起面对。
We could all face higher fuel bills this winter.我们这个冬天免不了都要付更多的燃料费。
She's faced with a difficult decision.她面临着一个艰难的决定。
Several students now face expulsion.有几个学生现在面临被开除学籍的处分。
She could face charges of fraud.她可能面临欺诈指控。
He is in custody facing criminal charges.他已被拘留并面临刑事指控。
He was arrested and now faces a murder trial.他被捕，现在面临谋杀案审判。
It's unlikely she will ever face trial.她不太可能面临审判。
They would have to take down the site or face heavy fines.他们将不得不关闭该网站，否则将面临巨额罚款。
If convicted, he faces the death penalty.如果罪名成立，他将面临死刑。
On their journey across the desert they faced danger of all sorts.他们在穿越沙漠的旅途中应对了各种危险。

[transitive] face something to accept that a difficult situation exists, although you would prefer not to承认，正视（现实）

It's time to face reality—we failed.该正视现实了——我们失败了。
It's not always easy to face the truth.承认事实并不总是一件容易的事。
I did something wrong and I will face the consequences.我做了错事，我将承担后果。
She had to face the fact that her life had changed forever.她得正视她的生活已永远改变了这一事实。
Face facts—she isn't coming back.面对现实吧，她不会回来了。
Let's face it, we're not going to win.我们得承认，我们赢不了啦。

Extra Examples

The company was forced to face reality—there was no market for the product.该公司被迫面对现实——该产品没有市场。
He wanted his son to face the harsh realities of life.他希望儿子能够面对生活中的残酷现实。
They refuse to face the fact that this isn't going to work.他们拒绝面对这样的事实：这行不通。
You need to face the fact that she doesn't love you.你必须面对她不爱你的事实。
It's time to forget the past and face the future.是时候忘记过去，面对未来了。
She doesn't seem able to face the situation.她似乎无法面对现在的处境。
We have to face it that things are going to take a lot longer than we planned.我们必须面对现实，事情将比我们计划的时间要长得多。
Face it, nobody likes to be criticized.面对现实吧，没有人喜欢被批评。

[transitive] if you can’t face something unpleasant, you feel unable or unwilling to deal with it（感到不能）对付；（不愿）处理

face something I just can't face work today.我今天就是没法工作。
He wasn't able to face the washing up.他无法面对洗碗。
face doing something I can't face seeing them.我真不愿意见到他们。
She could never face arguing with him.她永远无法面对与他争论。

Extra Examples

I'd go, but I can't face getting up so early.我想去，但我无法面对这么早起床。
She couldn't face her exercise class this morning.她无法参加今天早上的运动课。
Some people just can't face parties.有些人就是无法面对聚会。
I was planning to clean the car, but I can't face it.我本来打算洗车的，但是我无法面对。
I don't know how I'm going to be able to face telling them.我不知道我该如何面对告诉他们。
I just couldn't face doing it all again.我只是无法面对再次做这一切。
How can you face cleaning all that up?你怎么能面对清理所有这些呢？

[transitive] face somebody to talk to or deal with somebody, even though this is difficult or unpleasant（明知不好办而）交谈，应付

How can I face Tom? He'll be so disappointed.我怎样才能和汤姆谈呢？他会很失望的。

cover surface

[transitive, usually passive] to cover a surface with another material（以另一物）覆盖表面

(be) faced with something a brick building faced with stone石料贴面的砖建筑物

Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French, based on Latin facies ‘form, appearance, face’.

Idioms

face the music

(informal) to accept and deal with criticism or punishment for something you have done接受批评（或惩罚）
- The others all ran off, leaving me to face the music.其他人都跑掉了，留下我来挨罚。