save face

idiom

: to avoid having other people lose respect for oneself

He tried to save face by working overtime.

Examples of save face in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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Some even accused her of pretending to enjoy singlehood to save face, advising her to return to her ex. —

Essence, 17 Dec. 2024 To save face, the new governor called upon his attorney general to recuse himself from having anything to do with the case surrounding his father’s homicide and more. —

Charlie Mason, TVLine, 24 Nov. 2024 Facing humiliation, Khrushchev also tried to build an off-ramp for himself that would maximize his ability to save face in the socialist world and prevent a war with the West. —

Timothy Naftali, Foreign Affairs, 16 Nov. 2022 Some may conclude that Khamenei is trying to save face, but the administration of President Joe Biden is treating the remarks seriously. —

Daniel Depetris, Chicago Tribune, 5 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for save face