adjective

face to face

fayss tuh FAYSS

Face to face (adjective) means taking place in person, with the people involved physically present rather than connecting by phone, video or message. Example: “We'd rather have a face-to-face meeting than another video call.”

adjective

Taking place in person, with the people involved physically present rather than connecting by phone, video or message.

"We'd rather have a face-to-face meeting than another video call."

"The course mixes online modules with face-to-face teaching."

adverb

In person, or directly facing each other.

"We finally met face to face after two years of emails."

"They sat down face to face and settled it."

Confronted directly with something difficult or unavoidable; used with 'come' or 'be brought'.

"On the ward you come face to face with what the illness really does."

How to Use Face to face

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishIn the same room, with the other person actually there.

When to use it

Neutral; became far more frequent in everyday use after widespread remote working.

Memory tip

'Head-to-head' means in direct competition, not merely in person.

Easily confused with

in-person one-on-one head-to-head

Common pairings

face-to-face meeting face-to-face contact come face to face with face-to-face teaching

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.

Test yourself on “face to face” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage →

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

We finally met _____ after two years of emails.

Synonyms

View more →

in-person in the flesh live

Antonyms

remote online virtual by phone

Related Words

be go live far close living experience dead

Rhymes for face to face

ace face race pace mace lace Jace peace space trace grace place

See all rhymes for face to face →

Frequently Asked Questions

When do you hyphenate face-to-face?

Hyphenate it when it modifies a noun — a face-to-face interview, face-to-face contact. Leave the hyphens out when it works as an adverb after the verb — we met face to face.

What is the difference between face-to-face and in-person?

They mean the same thing in most contexts, and both contrast with remote. 'In-person' is the more common wording in American English and in event listings; 'face-to-face' carries a slight extra sense of direct, two-way contact between individuals.

People Also Searched

be go live far close living experience dead