face-plant

1 of 2

noun

ˈfās-ˌplant How to pronounce face-plant (audio)
variants or faceplant
plural face-plants or faceplants
: a sudden face-first fall
tripped and did a face-plant

face-plant

2 of 2

verb

variants or less commonly faceplant
face-planted also faceplanted; face-planting also faceplanting; face-plants also faceplants
: to fall suddenly and face-first : to do a face-plant
tripped and face-planted on the stage

Examples of face-plant in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
Which brand will spend billions on a new model, only to face-plant? — Mark Phelan, Freep.com, 20 Dec. 2025 The girl takes a tentative step forward, stumbles, and face-plants into the waves. — Dalton Ross, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Jan. 2026 No one wants to fall down a flight of stairs and face-plant right at a time of the year when the good teams are gearing up for a postseason run. — Cedric Golden, Austin American Statesman, 13 Mar. 2026 But the competition, held at an Olympic venue, also broadcast frequent collisions and face-plants by the bots, many of which were controlled remotely by people. — Ann Scott Tyson, Christian Science Monitor, 29 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for face-plant

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1981, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1986, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of face-plant was in 1981

Rhymes for face-plant

See All Rhymes for face-plant

Browse Nearby Words

face pit
face-plant
faceplate
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Face-plant.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/face-plant. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

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