Dictionary Definition
confront
Verb
1 oppose, as in hostility or a competition; "You
must confront your opponent"; "Jackson faced Smith in the boxing
ring"; "The two enemies finally confronted each other" [syn:
face]
2 deal with (something unpleasant) head on; "You
must confront your problems"; "He faced the terrible consequences
of his mistakes" [syn: face up, face] [ant: avoid]
3 present somebody with something, usually to
accuse or criticize; "We confronted him with the evidence"; "He was
faced with all the evidence and could no longer deny his actions";
"An enormous dilemma faces us" [syn: face, present]
4 be face to face with; "The child screamed when
it confronted the man in the halloween costume"
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Etymology
From French confronter, from medieval Latin confrontare, from con- + frons "forehead", "front"Pronunciation
-
- Rhymes: -ʌnt
Verb
- To stand or meet facing, especially in competition, hostility or defiance; to come face to face with; to oppose; to challenge.
- To deal with.
- To something bring face to face with.
- To come up against; to encounter.
- To engage in confrontation.
- To set a thing side by side with; to compare.
- To put a thing facing to; to set in contrast to.
Derived terms
Translations
To stand or meet facing, especially in
competition, hostility or defiance
- Albanian: ballafaqoj
- Finnish: kohdata
- German: konfrontieren, entgegentreten
To deal with
- Albanian: ballafaqoj
- Finnish: kohdata
- German: konfrontieren, sich einer Sache stellen
To something bring face to face with
- Albanian: ballafaqoj
- Finnish: kohdata
- German: konfrontieren
To come up against; to encounter
- Albanian: kundërvihem (i)
- Finnish: kohdata
- German: konfrontieren, begegnen
To engage in confrontation
To set a thing side by side with; to compare
- Albanian: ballafaqoj
- German: gegenüberstellen
To put a thing facing to; to set in contrast to
- Albanian: ballafaqoj
- German: gegenüberstellen
- ttbc Dutch: confronteren
- ttbc French: confronter
- ttbc Spanish: enfrentar
Synonyms, Antonyms and Related Words
accost,
advance, affront, alight upon, analogize, approach, appropinquate, approximate, assimilate, await, baffle, balance, balk, be imminent, be in store,
bear down on, bear down upon, bear up, beard, bell the cat, bid defiance,
bite the bullet, blast,
brave, brazen, brazen out, breast, brew, bring before, bring forward,
bring into analogy, bring into comparison, bring up, bump heads,
bump into, call out, challenge, checkmate, circumvent, close, close in, close with,
come, come across, come
among, come closer, come forward, come near, come on, come up, come
up against, come upon, compare, compare and contrast,
compare with, complain,
complain loudly, confound, confront with,
contend, contend with,
contrapose, contraposit, contrast, contravene, counter, counteract, countermand, counterpose, counterwork, cross, dare, dash, defeat, defy, destroy, discomfit, disconcert, discountenance, dish, dispute, disrupt, dissent, double-dare, draw a
comparison, draw a parallel, draw near, draw nigh, draw on,
elude, encounter, envisage, face, face down, face out, face the
music, face up, face up to, face with, fall across, fall among,
fall foul of, fall upon, flout, flummox, foil, forthcome, front, frustrate, gain upon, gather, hang over, hover, impend, kick against, knock the
chocks, lay before, lie opposite, lie over, light upon, liken, liken to, loom, lower, make a stand, match, measure against, meet, meet boldly, meet head-on,
meet squarely, meet up with, meet with, menace, metaphorize, narrow the gap,
near, nonplus, object, offer resistance,
oppose, outdare, overhang, parallel, perplex, pitch upon, place
against, place before, polarize, pose against, present
to, protest, proximate, put in opposition,
put it to, recalcitrate, relate, reluct, remonstrate, resist, revolt, ruin, run a comparison, run across,
run into, run smack into, run the gauntlet, run up against, run
upon, sabotage,
scorn, scotch, scout, scream defiance, set at
defiance, set before, set in contrast, set in opposition, set off
against, set over against, show fight, sidle up to, similize, speak out, speak up,
spike, spoil, stand, stand at bay, stand
opposed, stand opposite, stand up against, stand up to, stare down,
stem, step up, stonewall, strive against,
stump, subtend, threaten, thwart, upset, view together, weigh, weigh against, withstand