confront

verb

con·​front kən-ˈfrənt 

confronted; confronting; confronts

transitive verb

1

: to face especially in challenge : oppose

confront an enemy

The mayor was confronted by a group of protesters.

2

a

: to cause to meet : bring face-to-face

confront a reader with statistics

confronted her with the evidence

b

: to meet face-to-face : encounter

confronted the possibility of failure

confrontal

kən-ˈfrən-tᵊl 

noun

confronter noun

Synonyms

• beard
• brave
• brazen
• breast
• dare
• defy
• face
• outbrave
• outface

Examples of confront in a Sentence

They confronted the invaders at the shore.

She confronted him about his smoking.

The country is reluctant to confront its violent past.

The photographs confront the viewer with images of desperate poverty.

I confronted her with the evidence.

Recent Examples on the Web

After overhearing the fight, Joshua Mayfield-Chavez Jr. confronted Honeywood and shot him, police said. —Karen Bartunek, The Arizona Republic, 24 Dec. 2024

Instead of confronting the grumpy old man in his present, the Doctor goes back in time and changes his childhood memories right before his eyes. —Andy Biggs, Newsweek, 24 Dec. 2024

Blink Twice is not a perfect movie, but Kravitz’s willingness to boldly confront dark issues in a smart and darkly humorous way heralds her standing as an audacious filmmaker on the rise. —Jennifer M. Wood, WIRED, 23 Dec. 2024

Mexico’s new president confronts a wave of violence Nov. 12, 2024 Johnson is both a former U.S. military officer — a Green Beret — and a former CIA official. —Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times, 23 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle French confronter to border on, confront, from Medieval Latin confrontare to bound, from Latin com- + front-, frons forehead, front

First Known Use

circa 1568, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

confront

verb

con·​front kən-ˈfrənt 

1

: to face especially in challenge : oppose

confront an enemy

2

: to bring face-to-face : cause to meet

confronted with difficulties

confrontation

ˌkän-(ˌ)frən-ˈtā-shən

noun

Legal Definition

confront

transitive verb

con·​front kən-ˈfrənt 

: to face or bring face-to-face for the purpose of challenging especially through cross-examination

the accused shall enjoy the right…to be confronted with the witnesses against him

—U.S. Constitution amend. VI

confrontation

ˌkän-frən-ˈtā-shən 

noun