confront

verb

con·​front kən-ˈfrənt 

confronted; confronting; confronts

transitive verb

1

: to face especially in challenge : oppose

confront an enemy

The mayor was confronted by a group of protesters.

2

a

: to cause to meet : bring face-to-face

confront a reader with statistics

confronted her with the evidence

b

: to meet face-to-face : encounter

confronted the possibility of failure

confrontal

kən-ˈfrən-tᵊl 

noun

confronter noun

Synonyms

• beard
• brave
• brazen
• breast
• dare
• defy
• face
• outbrave
• outface

Examples of confront in a Sentence

They confronted the invaders at the shore.

She confronted him about his smoking.

The country is reluctant to confront its violent past.

The photographs confront the viewer with images of desperate poverty.

I confronted her with the evidence.

Recent Examples on the Web

Shortly after taking office in 2021, Gov. Kathy Hochul vowed to combat provider directory misinformation, so there seemed to be a clear path to confronting ghost networks. —Max Blau, ProPublica, 14 Nov. 2024

Authorities said Zigler and his friend went to the complex on April 24, possibly to confront one of the residents about a missing Glock firearm that belonged to them. —Nate Gartrell, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024

With fewer than 100 individuals left in the wild, this mysterious antelope has become a symbol of both Southeast Asia’s rich biodiversity and the dire conservation challenges confronting the region. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 5 Nov. 2024

The young boy embarks on a perilous journey deep into the mountains to confront the spirit and prevent the destruction of his village. —Patrick Frater, Variety, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle French confronter to border on, confront, from Medieval Latin confrontare to bound, from Latin com- + front-, frons forehead, front

First Known Use

circa 1568, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

confront

verb

con·​front kən-ˈfrənt 

1

: to face especially in challenge : oppose

confront an enemy

2

: to bring face-to-face : cause to meet

confronted with difficulties

confrontation

ˌkän-(ˌ)frən-ˈtā-shən

noun

Legal Definition

confront

transitive verb

con·​front kən-ˈfrənt 

: to face or bring face-to-face for the purpose of challenging especially through cross-examination

the accused shall enjoy the right…to be confronted with the witnesses against him

—U.S. Constitution amend. VI

confrontation

ˌkän-frən-ˈtā-shən 

noun