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 When confronted with aches, pains, or stress, many people turn to their favorite cup of tea. Lauren Manaker Ms, Rdn, Health, 13 Mar. 2024 That’s when he was filmed and confronted by the teens. Jolene Almendarez, The Enquirer, 13 Mar. 2024 Crutchfield has never shied away from confronting darker impulses in her work. Andy Cush, Pitchfork, 12 Mar. 2024 But the delay is a window into the confusion and chaos that has confronted the military alliance’s rush to supply the F-16s. Lara Jakes, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024 They are confronted with the ultimate power of the universe: an ancient alien race known only as the Radial. Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 11 Mar. 2024 This comes after demonstrators against the war publicly confronted Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., and two prominent representatives, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Nancy Pelosi of California, and clashed with police outside the Democratic Party headquarters in Washington. Charles Blow, The Mercury News, 9 Mar. 2024 The unprecedented challenges confronting Israel will ultimately require a new government that is capable of fostering broad national consensus and navigating the country out of one of the most severe crises in its history. Amos Yadlin, Foreign Affairs, 8 Mar. 2024 California’s effort to confront implicit bias among doctors faces a 1st Amendment challenge. Ryan Fonseca, Los Angeles Times, 1 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 19 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

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