face up

accept and deal with something difficult or unpleasant

B2

What does "face up to sth" mean?

To face up to something means to stop avoiding or denying a difficult truth or situation and instead acknowledge it honestly and deal with it. The phrase carries a strong sense of personal courage — it suggests the person has been resisting or putting something off, and now has to confront it head on. Unlike simply 'dealing with' something, facing up to it emphasises the psychological effort of acknowledgement first: you have to admit the reality to yourself before you can act on it. This makes it particularly common in advice-giving contexts, often introduced by phrases like 'you need to', 'it's time to', or 'you have to', which signal that someone is being urged to stop avoiding something. The object is almost always an abstract noun or idea — the truth, a mistake, your responsibilities — rather than a person.

Examples

How to use it

face up to + abstract noun/situation

The most common structure: a person confronts a difficult truth, reality, or responsibility that follows 'to'.

After months of ignoring the problem, she finally faced up to the reality of her financial situation.

face up to + the fact that + clause

Use this structure when you need to spell out the specific difficult truth being confronted.

He needs to face up to the fact that his behaviour has been affecting the whole team.

need to / have to / it's time to + face up to

Modal and semi-modal expressions of necessity are especially common before this phrasal verb, reinforcing the idea that someone is avoiding something they should confront.

It's time to face up to the consequences of that decision.

refuse to / struggle to / finally + face up to

Adverbs and negative constructions often appear before the verb to describe the difficulty or delay in confronting something.

She struggled to face up to her mistakes, even when the evidence was clear.

face up to + it (pronoun)

When the difficult situation is already clear from context, 'it' can be used as a short, emphatic object.

The situation isn't going to improve on its own — you just have to face up to it.

Common Collocations

face up to the truthface up to your responsibilitiesface up to realityface up to the consequencesface up to your mistakesface up to the fact that

Common Mistakes

Using 'face to' instead of the full three-part form

'Face to' is not a valid phrasal verb in this sense — you must always use the complete form 'face up to'. Dropping 'up' produces an unnatural and incorrect phrase.

✗ You need to face to the truth eventually.
✓ You need to face up to the truth eventually.
Confusing 'face up to' with 'come to terms with'

'Come to terms with' means emotionally accepting something you cannot change, often after a long process of grief or adjustment. 'Face up to' means actively choosing to confront and address something you have been avoiding — the emphasis is on courage and action, not resignation.

✗ After losing the contract, the company came to terms with its poor planning and started making changes.
✓ After losing the contract, the company faced up to its poor planning and started making changes.
Using a person as the object

The object of 'face up to' should be a difficult situation, truth, or responsibility — not a person. Using a person as the object shifts the meaning towards a physical sense of facing someone, which is not what this phrasal verb means.

✗ She finally faced up to her manager about the problem.
✓ She finally faced up to the problem and told her manager about it.

Usage

This phrasal verb is neutral and works in both conversation and writing. It is especially common in advice-giving contexts and is often introduced by 'you need to' or 'it's time to', signalling that someone is avoiding something they should confront.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can 'face up to' be used without an object?

Yes, in certain situations you can drop the preposition and object, leaving just 'face up' when the difficult situation is already clear from context. For example: 'She knows what's happening — she just won't face up.' This short form works well for emphasis, but the full 'face up to + object' structure is far more common.

Can I say 'the problem was faced up to'? Does this work in the passive?

No — 'face up to' doesn't work in the passive. Because the object follows the preposition 'to', it can't be moved to become the subject of a passive sentence the way it could with a simple transitive verb. Stick to active sentences where a person or group does the facing up.

What kinds of things can follow 'face up to'?

The object is almost always something abstract and difficult — for example, the truth, reality, your mistakes, your responsibilities, the consequences, or your fears. You can also use 'the fact that' followed by a clause: 'face up to the fact that things need to change.' The key is that the object should be a difficult situation or truth, not a person.

Is 'face up to' more British or American English?

It's used in both, but it's slightly more common in British English. American English speakers will understand it perfectly, and it's not considered regional or unusual in any English-speaking context.

What's the difference between 'face up to something' and just 'face something'?

'Face something' (without 'up to') is also correct and means something similar, but it tends to sound slightly more formal or literary. 'Face up to' is more idiomatic in everyday speech and writing, and it places stronger emphasis on the psychological effort and courage involved in confronting something you've been avoiding.

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