Face up to means to accept an unpleasant truth or problem and start dealing with it. Usually it's something a person has avoided for a long time: debts, mistakes, fears, a difficult conversation.
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face up to + problem/fact/the truth; face up to the fact that + clause; face up to + -ing
- He finally faced up to his debts and made a strict monthly budget.
- It took me a year to face up to the fact that I hated my job.
What changed
First versionYou need to look the truth in the eyes.
RevisionYou need to face up to the truth.
It can be tempting to say you look the truth in the eyes, but English doesn't use this image: you look a person in the eye, not the truth. The usual phrase is face up to the truth.
Face on its own can also mean to accept: face the truth, face the facts. But face has another meaning too: simply to be in a difficult situation, whether you like it or not: The company faces serious problems. Face up to is always about a decision: the person stops pretending the problem isn't there. We need to face up to the problem means it's time to stop avoiding it.
Your turn
After years of ignoring it, he finally ___ his drinking problem and asked for help.
Show the answer
faced up to — He ignored the problem for years, then admitted it and asked for help: faced up to. Put up with means to tolerate something you don't like; tolerating a problem and asking for help at the same time is a contradiction.
Write about a problem you put off dealing with for a long time. Name it and say what you did when you finally admitted it.
I avoided going to the dentist for a year, but when my tooth started hurting at night, I faced up to the problem and booked an appointment.
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