Meanings
alternative face-to-face
- not comparableIn person; directly; in the physical presence of somebody.
He sounds intimidating over the phone, but if you meet him face to face you will find he is a friendly enough fellow.
1 more example
Turning in at the gate of Thornden Lodge, on her mission 'to inquire', Elsie Bellmark came face to face with a departing stranger […]
1927, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], Max Carrados MysteriesSynonyms: eyeball to eyeball, vis-à-vis
- broadlynot comparableClosely encountering (a thing or situation).
We came face to face with the situation.
1 more example
Finally, there I was, face to face with death.
Synonyms: head-on
Synonyms & antonyms
adverbIn person; directly; in the physical presence of somebody.
adverbClosely encountering (a thing or situation).
More synonyms by meaning
adverbdirectly facing each other
adverbwithin each other's presence
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Ancient Greek ἐνώπιος ἐνωπίῳ, ἀντικρύ
- ἐνώπιος ἐνωπίῳ (enṓpios enōpíōi)in person
- ἀντικρύ (antikrú)in person
Arabic وَجْهًا لِوَجْه
- وَجْهًا لِوَجْه (wajhan li-wajh)in person
Bengali মুখোমুখি
- মুখোমুখি (mukhōmukhi)in person
Bulgarian лице́ в лице́
- лице́ в лице́ (licé v licé)in person
Chinese Cantonese 當面 /当面
- 當面 /当面 (dong¹ min⁶)in person
Chinese Mandarin 當面 /当面, 面對面 /面对面
- 當面 /当面 (dāngmiàn)in person
- 面對面 /面对面 (miànduìmiàn)in person
Czech tváří v tvář
- tváří v tvářin person
Danish ansigt til ansigt
- ansigt til ansigtin person
Dutch in het echt, oog in oog
- in het echtin person
- oog in oogin person
Finnish kasvokkain, kasvotusten
- kasvokkainin person
- kasvotustenin person
- henkilökohtaisestiin person
French vis-à-vis, tête-à-tête
- vis-à-visin person
- tête-à-têtein person
- face à facein person
German von Angesicht zu Angesicht, in echt
- von Angesicht zu Angesichtin person
- in echtin person
Greek πρόσωπο με πρόσωπο, διά ζώσης
- πρόσωπο με πρόσωπο (prósopo me prósopo)in person
- διά ζώσης (diá zósis)in person
Hebrew פנים אל פנים
- פנים אל פנים (paním el paním)in person
Hindi आमने-सामने, सम्मुख
- आमने-सामने (āmne-sāmne)in person
- सम्मुख (sammukh)in person
- रूबरू (rūbrū)in person
Hungarian személyesen
- személyesenin person
Indonesian tatap muka, wawanmuka
- tatap mukain person
- wawanmukain person
- semukain person
Irish aghaidh ar aghaidh
- aghaidh ar aghaidhin person
Malay bersemuka
- bersemukain person
Māori rae ki te rae, kanohi ki te kanohi
- rae ki te raein person
- kanohi ki te kanohiin person
Norwegian Bokmål ansikt til ansikt, under fire øyne
- ansikt til ansiktin person
- under fire øynein person
Persian رو به رو
- رو به رو (ru be ru)in person
Polish twarzą w twarz
- twarzą w twarzin person
Portuguese face a face, cara a cara
- face a facein person
- cara a carain person
- pessoalmentein person
Punjabi ਰੂਬਰੂ
- ਰੂਬਰੂ (rūbrū)in person
Romanian față în față, între patru ochi
- față în fațăin person
- între patru ochiin person
Russian лицо́м к лицу́, с гла́зу на́ глаз
- лицо́м к лицу́ (licóm k licú)in person
- с гла́зу на́ глаз (s glázu ná glaz)in person
- тет-а-те́т (tɛt-a-tɛ́t)in person
Scottish Gaelic aghaidh ri aghaidh
- aghaidh ri aghaidhin person
Slovak tvárou v tvár, zoči-voči
- tvárou v tvárin person
- zoči-vočiin person
Spanish frente a frente, cara a cara
- frente a frentein person
- cara a carain person
- vis a visin person
Swahili uso kwa uso, ana kwa ana
- uso kwa usoin person
- ana kwa anain person
Swedish ansikte mot ansikte, öga mot öga
- ansikte mot ansiktein person
- öga mot ögain person
Tagalog harapan
- harapanin person
Tamil நேருக்கு நேர், முகத்திற்கு முகம்
- நேருக்கு நேர் (nērukku nēr)in person
- முகத்திற்கு முகம் (mukattiṟku mukam)in person
Turkish yüz yüze
- yüz yüzein person
Ukrainian обли́ччям до обли́ччя, віч-на́-віч
- обли́ччям до обли́ччя (oblýččjam do oblýččja)in person
- віч-на́-віч (vič-ná-vič)in person
Vietnamese trực diện, trực tiếp
- trực diệnin person
- trực tiếpin person
Welsh wyneb ar wyneb
- wyneb ar wynebin person
Cite this entry
face to face. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/face%20to%20face
“face to face.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/face%20to%20face. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “face to face,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/face%20to%20face.
Source: face to face on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.