: with the face foremost
hit the wall face-first
face-first adjective

Examples of face-first in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Sheets reached up at the last instant while running face-first into the wall. Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, 1 June 2025 Williams hit a flapjack on Hendry, who fell face-first onto the title, which laid on the canvas. Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 26 May 2025 There’s no shortage of knuckle-head comedy bits, including Randall walking face-first into a glass door and the guys gathering atop a snowy cliff, opening their ski vests and shirts, and writing their net worths on their bare chests with a red Sharpie. Matt Zoller Seitz, Vulture, 20 May 2025 Brown was the more effective striker during the exchanges in the second stanza, using his length and power to hurt Dalby before Dalby bit down on his mouthpiece and charged forward, only to be dropped face-first to the canvas with a nasty right. Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 26 Apr. 2025 When there’s no money for date nights, no buffer for impulse purchases and no tolerance for risky decisions, couples are forced to confront their differences face-first. Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025 These characters are faced with death frequently, so the idea of throwing themselves face-first into inevitable death – after having watched for decades as expeditioners left and never returned – is second-nature. Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025 Middleton went face-first into the boards and collapsed in a heap. John Shipley, Twin Cities, 6 Apr. 2025 However, Naz doesn’t expect Aziza to be pulled face-first into his family drama, altering their friendship and the Jaspers’ lives forever. Aramide Tinubu, Variety, 18 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1880, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of face-first was in 1880

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Face-first.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/face-first. Accessed 5 Jun. 2025.

Kids Definition

face-first

adverb
ˌfās-ˈfərst
: with the face leading the body
hit the ground face-first
face-first adjective
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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