From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishface to faceface to facea) OPPOSITE/FACEif two people are standing face to face, they are very close and are looking at each othermeet somebody/talk to somebody/explain something etc face to face (=to meet someone and talk to them, instead of just hearing about them, talking to them on the phone etc) I’ve never met her face to face. ‘You could have just phoned.’ ‘I wanted to explain things face to face.’come face to face/find yourself face to face (with somebody) (=to meet someone, especially in a way that surprises or frightens you) At that moment he came face to face with Sergeant Burke. The two men stood face to face without a word. b) DEAL WITHif you come face to face with something difficult, you experience it and have to deal with it It was the first time he’d ever come face to face with death.bring somebody face to face with something Sometimes one is brought face to face with facts which cannot be ignored. → face-to-face → face
Examples from the Corpus
face to face• Bob and I sat face to face across the table.• Stern insisted that she come downtown so that he could explain this to her face to face.• The two stood face to face without a word, as lofty pine trees when the wind is still.• Then they came face to face again to discover they lived in neighboring towns only one hour apart.• There he was face to face with himself - times six.• There is conversation which is usually face to face but may sometimes involve telecommunication.• They couldn't harm him face to face.• You only need type the merest hint of innuendo into a search engine to come face to face with a porno advert.• I stuck my head out of my tent, and came face to face with a cow.• In a face-to-face confrontation angry demonstrators threw bricks and bottles at the police.• The senator cannot meet every voter face to face, but he is certainly doing his best.• They stood face to face, each struggling to control his temper.• Turning the corner I came face to face with a security guard.• Victims who go to court dread coming face to face with their attacker again.• We sat face to face across a narrow table.• Couples who want to remain close have to spend some time face to face, time talking.face-to-faceˌface-to-ˈface adjective [only before noun] PERSONALLY/YOURSELFa face-to-face meeting, conversation etc is one where you are with another person and talking to them a face-to-face interview → face to face at face1(7)Examples from the Corpus
face-to-face• Why couldn't they just tell him things face-to-face?• The warring sides finally came face-to-face at a meeting designed to help them settle their differences.• You also appreciated the face-to-face briefings and, especially, the commitment to regular communications.• They had met there before for face-to-face debriefings during Operation Steeplechase, and the routine was always the same.• On-line mediation did not find much support-the respondents said the psychology of mediation was better suited to face-to-face discussions.• Here, his old taste for face-to-face encounters was complemented by his mastery of the new mass medium of television.• This was the first face-to-face meeting the two leaders have had.• He will attach great importance to face-to-face meetings and so will his constituents. 