face down
adjective or adverb
variants
or less commonly face-down
or facedown
: with the face down
He was face down on the bed. = He was lying face down on the bed.
Two cards are dealt face down to each player, then the first round of bets is made.—
Thomas L. Clark
Thomas L. Clark… she walked past us to the lab area, placed the paper face down on the table and looked back at us.—David Kwiatkowski
David Kwiatkowski… stood up so fast he knocked his plate of waffles facedown onto the floor.—Ingrid Law
—usually hyphenated before a nounIngrid Law… an alternate paper path has been added to turn out face-down copies in proper order, so they don't have to be collated manually.—William J. Lynott
William J. LynottExamples of face down in a Sentence
The cards were dealt facedown.
He fell facedown in the sand.
Recent Examples on the Web
He was then forced to the ground, face down, by two FBI agents and one other law enforcement officer who handcuffed him.
—Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
One little girl floated like a tether between Constance’s sleeve and an infant face down in its life jacket.
—Jim Shepard, New Yorker, 8 June 2025
Chloe has always been told that Adam got custody over Ethan after finding Nicky passed out drunk, face down in a swimming pool with baby Ethan nearly drowning beside her.
—Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 29 May 2025
He was face down when athletic trainers rushed to tend to him.
—Compiled From Wire Reports, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 June 2025
Their grandmother was just feet away, face down on the kitchen floor.
—David Schutz, Sun Sentinel, 6 May 2025
Mass, he was found dead in a channel in the harbor, face down, his hat floating nearby.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2025
His hands on his knees and face down, as if the building’s cooling system was inside the hardwood.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 20 May 2025
The wide receiver was handcuffed and placed face down on a street by officers.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
One little girl floated like a tether between Constance’s sleeve and an infant face down in its life jacket.
—Jim Shepard, New Yorker, 8 June 2025
Chloe has always been told that Adam got custody over Ethan after finding Nicky passed out drunk, face down in a swimming pool with baby Ethan nearly drowning beside her.
—Olivia B. Waxman, Time, 29 May 2025
He was face down when athletic trainers rushed to tend to him.
—Compiled From Wire Reports, The Orlando Sentinel, 8 June 2025
Their grandmother was just feet away, face down on the kitchen floor.
—David Schutz, Sun Sentinel, 6 May 2025
Mass, he was found dead in a channel in the harbor, face down, his hat floating nearby.
—Patt Morrison, Los Angeles Times, 24 May 2025
His hands on his knees and face down, as if the building’s cooling system was inside the hardwood.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 20 May 2025
The wide receiver was handcuffed and placed face down on a street by officers.
—Jackson Thompson, FOXNews.com, 15 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Face down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/face%20down. Accessed 27 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
facedown
adverb
face·down
ˈfās-ˈdau̇n 
: with the face down
floated facedown
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