From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbe staring somebody in the facebe staring somebody in the facea) informalOBVIOUS if something is staring you in the face, it is very clear or easy to notice but you have not noticed it The solution was staring me right in the face all along. b) CERTAINLY/DEFINITELYto seem impossible to avoid Defeat was staring us in the face. → stare
Examples from the Corpus
be staring somebody in the face• Defeat was staring us in the face.• The solution is staring you in the face.• He thought he was staring death in the face.• It is staring us in the face.• With only three games to save themselves, Coventry are staring relegation in the face.• The answer had been staring him in the face for months. 