face down
adjective or adverb
variants
or less commonly face-down
or facedown
: with the face down
He was face down on the bed. = He was lying face down on the bed.
Two cards are dealt face down to each player, then the first round of bets is made.—
Thomas L. Clark
Thomas L. Clark… she walked past us to the lab area, placed the paper face down on the table and looked back at us.—David Kwiatkowski
David Kwiatkowski… stood up so fast he knocked his plate of waffles facedown onto the floor.—Ingrid Law
—usually hyphenated before a nounIngrid Law… an alternate paper path has been added to turn out face-down copies in proper order, so they don't have to be collated manually.—William J. Lynott
William J. LynottExamples of face down in a Sentence
The cards were dealt facedown.
He fell facedown in the sand.
Recent Examples on the Web
The clock is face down on a pile of birthday cards, all marked ‘Return to sender’ in my daughter Aisha’s handwriting.
—Literary Hub, 11 July 2025
Even just putting it in a drawer or turning it face down can break the cycle of constant checking.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2025
Wohlwend, smiling at times from the courtroom well, was among the staffers who restrained Max face down for nearly two hours in November 2018 after the boy spat at another classmate, according to a lawsuit filed on behalf of Max’s family following his death.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 17 June 2025
He was discovered lying face down on his bed covered in a blanket with trauma and what appeared to be a stab wound to his back, police source said.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 17 June 2025
Queen of Hearts is played by setting up a board with cards face down and numbers on the back.
—Brady Williams, The Enquirer, 3 July 2025
Manzano was found dead face down on a pillow in his Comfort Suites hotel room in Kenner, Louisiana, on Feb. 5, officials said in March.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 11 June 2025
He was then forced to the ground, face down, by two FBI agents and one other law enforcement officer who handcuffed him.
—Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
One little girl floated like a tether between Constance’s sleeve and an infant face down in its life jacket.
—Jim Shepard, New Yorker, 8 June 2025
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Literary Hub, 11 July 2025
Even just putting it in a drawer or turning it face down can break the cycle of constant checking.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 July 2025
Wohlwend, smiling at times from the courtroom well, was among the staffers who restrained Max face down for nearly two hours in November 2018 after the boy spat at another classmate, according to a lawsuit filed on behalf of Max’s family following his death.
—Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 17 June 2025
He was discovered lying face down on his bed covered in a blanket with trauma and what appeared to be a stab wound to his back, police source said.
—Rocco Parascandola, New York Daily News, 17 June 2025
Queen of Hearts is played by setting up a board with cards face down and numbers on the back.
—Brady Williams, The Enquirer, 3 July 2025
Manzano was found dead face down on a pillow in his Comfort Suites hotel room in Kenner, Louisiana, on Feb. 5, officials said in March.
—Pj Green, Kansas City Star, 11 June 2025
He was then forced to the ground, face down, by two FBI agents and one other law enforcement officer who handcuffed him.
—Antonio Pequeño Iv, Forbes.com, 12 June 2025
One little girl floated like a tether between Constance’s sleeve and an infant face down in its life jacket.
—Jim Shepard, New Yorker, 8 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Face down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/face%20down. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
facedown
adverb
face·down
ˈfās-ˈdau̇n 
: with the face down
floated facedown
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