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

Luca tries to broker a deal to save face, but Isabella walks away from him. —Martine Paris, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025

Some members see it as a way to save face while also avoiding a shutdown. —Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 13 Mar. 2025

The complaint’s unjustified claims against UMG are no more than Drake’s attempt to save face for his unsuccessful rap battle with Lamar. —Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 17 Mar. 2025

The move was viewed as trying to help Democrats save face before some would ultimately back the GOP plan. —Cate Martel, The Hill, 14 Mar. 2025

Rhymes for save face

• aerospace
• anatase
• anyplace
• commonplace
• cyberspace
• database
• diabase
• diastase
• dnase
• elastase
• fireplace
• hyperspace