confront

con·front
C3O1N1F4R1O1N1T1
Canada, US, UK/kənˈfɹʌnt/Australia, New Zealand/kənˈfɹɐnt/Northern England/kənˈfɹʊnt/obsolete/kɒnˈfɹɒnt/

verb

To stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance; to come face to face with.

“confront a problem”

Similar
opposechallengetacklefaceface uppresent
Opposite
avoid
OriginMiddle French confronter ← Medieval Latin cōnfrontāre →
Less commonScrabble 13
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Word of the Day · May 25, 2023

Meanings

verbconfront (third-person singular simple present confronts, present participle confronting, simple past and past participle confronted)

present singular third person confronts · participle present confronting · participle past confronted · past confronted

  1. transitiveTo stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance; to come face to face with.

    It is important that police officers learn to deescalate situations in which someone confronts them aggressively.

    Synonyms: oppose, challenge

  2. transitiveTo deal with.

    confront a problem

    Synonyms: tackle

  3. transitiveTo bring someone face to face with something.

    We should confront him about the missing money.

  4. transitiveTo come up against; to encounter.

    Inter Milan are to confront Juventus in the final.

  5. intransitiveTo engage in confrontation.
  6. transitiveTo set a thing side by side with; to compare.
  7. transitiveTo put a thing facing to; to set in contrast to.

Synonyms & antonyms

verbTo stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance; to come face to face with.

Similar
opposechallenge

verbTo deal with.

Similar
tackle

More synonyms by meaning

verboppose, as in hostility or a competition

Similar
face
Broader
meetencounterplay

verbdeal with (something unpleasant) head on

Similar
face upfacepresent
Opposite
avoid
Broader
set aboutgo aboutapproach

verbpresent somebody with something, usually to accuse or criticize

Similar
facepresentface up
Broader
presentrepresentlay out
Also see
faceface upopposepresent

Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.

Origin

  1. Medieval Latincōnfrontāre
  2. Middle Frenchconfronter
  3. Englishconfront

From Middle French confronter, borrowed from Medieval Latin cōnfrontāre, from con- + frontem (“front, forehead”).

More words from Middle French, Medieval Latin

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Afrikaans konfronteer
  • konfronteerto stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
Arabic وَاجَهَ
  • وَاجَهَ (wājaha)to stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
Bulgarian противостоя, изправям се пред
  • противостоя (protivostoja)to stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
  • изправям се пред (izpravjam se pred)to stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
  • имам работа с (imam rabota s)to deal with
  • стоя срещу (stoja sreštu)to come up against; to encounter
  • съпоставям (săpostavjam)to set a thing side by side with; to compare
  • съпоставям (săpostavjam)to put a thing facing to; to set in contrast to
Catalan confrontar, enfrontar
  • confrontarto stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
  • enfrontarto stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
Czech čelit
  • čelitto stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
Dutch confronteren, confronteren
  • confronterento stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
  • confronterento deal with
  • confronterento bring someone face to face with something
  • confronterento come up against; to encounter
  • confronterento engage in confrontation
  • tegenover stellento set a thing side by side with; to compare
  • vergelijkento set a thing side by side with; to compare
  • tegenover stellento put a thing facing to; to set in contrast to
Esperanto konfronti, alfronti
  • konfrontito stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
  • alfrontito stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
  • alfrontito deal with
Finnish kohdata, kohdata
  • kohdatato stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
  • kohdatato deal with
  • kohdatato bring someone face to face with something
  • kohdatato come up against; to encounter
French confronter
  • confronterto stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
German konfrontieren, entgegentreten
  • konfrontierento stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
  • entgegentretento stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
  • sich einer Sache f stellento deal with
  • sich mit etwas auseinandersetzento deal with
  • sich mit einem Problem befassento deal with
  • konfrontierento bring someone face to face with something
  • konfrontierento come up against; to encounter
  • begegnento come up against; to encounter
  • konfrontierento engage in confrontation
  • gegenübertretento engage in confrontation
  • gegenüberstellento set a thing side by side with; to compare
  • nebeneinanderhaltento set a thing side by side with; to compare
Hebrew הִתְעַמֵּת, התעמת
  • הִתְעַמֵּת (hit'amét)to stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
  • התעמת (hit'amét)to engage in confrontation
Italian affrontare, confrontare
  • affrontareto stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
  • confrontareto stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
  • affrontareto deal with
  • confrontarsito bring someone face to face with something
  • sfidareto come up against; to encounter
  • confrontareto set a thing side by side with; to compare
Latin cōnfrontō
  • cōnfrontōto stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
Māori whakapātari, tuma
  • whakapātarito stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
  • tumato stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
  • whakahorohoroto stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
  • whakatumato stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
  • whakatumatumato engage in confrontation
Portuguese confrontar, enfrentar
  • confrontarto stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
  • enfrentarto stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
Russian противостоя́ть, име́ть де́ло
  • противостоя́ть (protivostojátʹ)to stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
  • име́ть де́лоto deal with
  • ста́лкиваться (stálkivatʹsja)to come up against; to encounter
  • столкну́ться (stolknútʹsja)to come up against; to encounter
  • сопоставля́ть (sopostavljátʹ)to put a thing facing to; to set in contrast to
  • сопоста́вить (sopostávitʹ)to put a thing facing to; to set in contrast to
  • противопоставля́ть (protivopostavljátʹ)to put a thing facing to; to set in contrast to
  • противопоста́вить (protivopostávitʹ)to put a thing facing to; to set in contrast to
Spanish enfrentar, confrontar
  • enfrentarto stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
  • confrontarto stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
  • salirle al pasoto stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
  • enfrontarto stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
  • hacer frenteto stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
  • enfrentarto deal with
  • enfrentarto bring someone face to face with something
  • enfrentarto come up against; to encounter
  • enfrentarto engage in confrontation
Swedish konfrontera, konfrontera
  • konfronterato deal with
  • konfronterato engage in confrontation
Thai เผชิญหน้า, สู้หน้า
  • เผชิญหน้า (pà-chəən-nâa)to stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
  • สู้หน้าto stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
Turkish yüzleşmek, göğüs germek
  • yüzleşmekto stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
  • göğüs germekto stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance
  • yüzleştirmekto bring someone face to face with something
  • karşı koymakto come up against; to encounter
Ukrainian стика́тися, зіткну́тися
  • стика́тися (stykátysja)to come up against; to encounter
  • зіткну́тися (zitknútysja)to come up against; to encounter

Rhymes & wordplay

Rhymes with confront

wantfronthuntauntbluntwontpuntstuntupfrontBlountgruntshuntbruntbuntluntaffrontruntbundtspruntdoesn'tpruntRex Huntsacrifice buntscrunt
All rhymes →
Cite this entry
APA

confront. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/confront

MLA

“confront.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/confront. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “confront,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/confront.

Source: confront on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.