face up to

English

Verb

face up to (third-person singular simple present faces up to, present participle facing up to, simple past and past participle faced up to)

1. To confront a condition or situation, typically one that is unpleasant or uncomfortable.

   We must all face up to the fact that we're not getting any younger.

   • 1977, Talking Heads (lyrics and music), “Psycho Killer”, in Talking Heads: 77:

     I can't seem to face up to the facts / I'm tense and nervous and I can't relax

Synonyms

• bite the biscuit
• bite the bullet

Translations

to confront

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 面對／面对 (zh) (miànduì)

• Finnish: myöntää (fi)
• German: sich etwas stellen (de)
• Portuguese: encarar (pt)
• Spanish: plantar cara (es), afrontar (es), arrostrar (es)

See also

• face facts
• have it out
• own up

Anagrams

• cup of tea