face-to-face

adverb or adjective

ˈfās-tə-ˈfās 

1

: within each other's sight or presence

met and talked face-to-face

a face-to-face consultation

2

: in or into direct contact or confrontation

came face-to-face with the problem

Synonyms

• personally

Examples of face-to-face in a Sentence

I won't believe that accusation until I meet with him face-to-face and ask him myself

came face-to-face with her lifelong fear of flying even before the plane left the runway

Recent Examples on the Web

During this time, everyone was experiencing not only fear and loss from the disease but also the loss of business norms like meeting face-to-face with their teams due to the shift to remote work. —Melinda Fouts, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025

Bett came face-to-face with South Florida offensive lineman Cole Skinner and spit right into the player’s facemask. —Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 7 Sep. 2025

Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter took it as a hostile act and approached Prescott, meeting face-to-face with him. —Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Sep. 2025

And that's a good thing, because the alternative is a face-to-face confrontation. —Rachel Treisman, NPR, 5 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for face-to-face

• aromatase
• hydrogenase
• nitrogenase
• oligoclase
• oxygenase
• plagioclase
• polymerase
• streptokinase
• triphosphatase
• abase
• airspace
• apace

Kids Definition

face-to-face

adverb or adjective

ˌfās-tə-ˈfās

1

: within each other's close presence

met face-to-face

2

: in or into direct contact or confrontation

face-to-face with a crisis