confront

verb

con·​front kən-ˈfrənt How to pronounce confront (audio)
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 noun
confronter noun

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 Armed attackers confront 90-year-old grandmother Esther Cunio, demanding to know where her family is. Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 24 Mar. 2024 Rescue shelters, already under strain from resource and veterinary shortages, are scrambling to confront their new reality. Sachi Mulkey, WIRED, 23 Mar. 2024 Target made changes to its LGBTQ+ merchandise ahead of last year’s Pride month after customers confronted workers and tipped over displays. Melissa Goldin, Quartz, 22 Mar. 2024 But rather than confronting the sophistication of the book, Netflix’s main priority with 3 Body Problem seems to be selling it as the next Game of Thrones (Benioff and Weiss’ last series). Charles Pulliam-Moore, The Verge, 21 Mar. 2024 Marche du Nain Rouge The streets of Detroit's Cass Corridor will be alive with vibrant colors, music, storytelling and celebration Sunday as the community gathers to confront and banish the mythical Nain Rouge, symbolizing the expulsion of negativity from the city. Brendel Hightower, Detroit Free Press, 21 Mar. 2024 Moments later, after a Grizzlies timeout, Green walked toward Aldama by Memphis’ bench and got confronted by Desmond Bane, who’s built like an edge rusher. Danny Emerman, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024 Electric vehicles are central to President Biden’s strategy to confront global warming, which calls for cutting the nation’s emissions in half by the end of this decade. Coral Davenport, New York Times, 20 Mar. 2024 When confronted with aches, pains, or stress, many people turn to their favorite cup of tea. Lauren Manaker Ms, Rdn, Health, 13 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'confront.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of confront was circa 1568

Dictionary Entries Near confront

Cite this Entry

“Confront.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/confront. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

confront

verb
con·​front kən-ˈfrənt How to pronounce confront (audio)
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 How to pronounce confront (audio)
: 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 himU.S. Constitution amend. VI
confrontation noun

More from Merriam-Webster on confront

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!