face-palm
verb
ˈfās-ˌpä(l)m 
-ˌpȯ(l)m
variants
or less commonly facepalm
face-palmed also facepalmed; face-palming also facepalming; face-palms also facepalms
: to cover one's face with the hand as an expression of embarrassment, dismay, or exasperation
But her body language was not good from the start on Saturday. She face-palmed after missing one forehand early, then shook her head after another errant shot.—
Jeff Hartsell
Jeff Hartsell
facepalm
noun
or less commonly face-palm
There's a kind of facepalm moment in the terrific pilot episode of Amazon's terrific new series Transparent when you realize that the title is a pun.
—Phil Maciak
Phil Maciak
Examples of face-palm in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Holly Robinson Peete also expressed her disappointment under McDonald's post, leaving a face-palming emoji.
—Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2026
Hollywood may have been face-palming, but to young me, that seemed like the most glamorous room in the universe.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 7 Jan. 2026
The 2025 Broncos suffered their first loss in exactly three months, a 34-20 face-palm defeat.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2025
The face-palm-worthy prompt injections against AI assistants continue.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2025
But the face-palming concept that opened the floodgates of disgrace?
—Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 10 Jan. 2025
The pic spawned a 1982 kitchen-sink sequel that brought most of the band back together and continued the knee-slapping or face-palming punchlines, unrepentant sight gags and inexpressive line readings — fourth wall be damned.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 26 Nov. 2024
The comment went viral, with American players such as Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and, yes, Booker (who tweeted a face-palm emoji) sharing their disagreement on social media.
—Sam Amick, The Athletic, 5 Aug. 2024
Jamala, who is currently in Australia, reacted to the news by posting a picture of herself in front of the Sydney Opera House on Instagram with a face-palm emoji superimposed.
—Ivan Nechepurenko, New York Times, 20 Nov. 2023
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Ashley Hume, FOXNews.com, 13 May 2026
Hollywood may have been face-palming, but to young me, that seemed like the most glamorous room in the universe.
—Seth Abramovitch, HollywoodReporter, 7 Jan. 2026
The 2025 Broncos suffered their first loss in exactly three months, a 34-20 face-palm defeat.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 22 Dec. 2025
The face-palm-worthy prompt injections against AI assistants continue.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 18 Sep. 2025
But the face-palming concept that opened the floodgates of disgrace?
—Michael Deeds, Idaho Statesman, 10 Jan. 2025
The pic spawned a 1982 kitchen-sink sequel that brought most of the band back together and continued the knee-slapping or face-palming punchlines, unrepentant sight gags and inexpressive line readings — fourth wall be damned.
—Erik Pedersen, Deadline, 26 Nov. 2024
The comment went viral, with American players such as Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard and, yes, Booker (who tweeted a face-palm emoji) sharing their disagreement on social media.
—Sam Amick, The Athletic, 5 Aug. 2024
Jamala, who is currently in Australia, reacted to the news by posting a picture of herself in front of the Sydney Opera House on Instagram with a face-palm emoji superimposed.
—Ivan Nechepurenko, New York Times, 20 Nov. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Face-palm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/face-palm. Accessed 31 May. 2026.
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