in the face vs on the face

Both 'in the face' and 'on the face' are correct phrases, but they are used in different contexts. 'In the face' is commonly used to describe something happening directly to someone, like an action or an impact. 'On the face' is used to describe something physically located on the surface of the face.

Last updated: March 25, 2024 • 1788 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to describe something happening directly to someone, like an action or an impact.

"in the face"

This phrase is used to describe something that is directed towards someone, often in a negative or confrontational way. It can be used figuratively or literally.

Examples:

He was hit in the face with a ball.
She felt the cold wind in her face.
The truth hit him in the face.
The cake was smashed in his face as a prank.
She couldn't believe the evidence right in her face.

Show examples from the web [+]

I want you... to punch your sister in the face.
A straitjacket or a punch in the face.
Not that I haven't been hit in the face before.
At one point, I straight punched you in the face.
Sorry, right in the face.
We have all felt the cold Humiliation of a slushie in the face.
You punched her in the face until she bled.
I just punched him in the face.
Dee, I would rather get shot in the face.
My cousin's baby punched her in the face.
And then your husband punched him in the face.
He popped this kid in the face with a rake.
You looked me in the face and lied.
Looks like she took one right in the face.
I stared that creep right in the face.
And I promise I won't look you in the face.
You're looking death right in the face.
Getting hit in the face with a dodgeball.
Getting hit in the face with a dodgeball during a different time...
It begins with a large oozing sore, often in the face.

Alternatives:

directly in front of someone
confronting someone
facing someone
right in front of someone
directly facing someone

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to describe something physically located on the surface of the face.

"on the face"

This phrase is used to describe something that is physically touching or located on the surface of the face. It is often used in a literal sense.

Examples:

She had a smile on her face.
There was a mark on his face.
He applied cream on his face.
The makeup artist worked on her face.
There was a tear on her face.

Show examples from the web [+]

Okay, we got second degree burns on the face.
Ronzavano and I rimbalzavano on the face.
If you ask me, some slight shading on the face will be sufficient.
Purple splotches on the face, the eye is bloodshot.
The colouration on the face would suggest cyanide poisoning.
I found some more remodeling, aside from that on the face.
No powder burns on the face.
Multiple lacerations on the face Indicates a possible struggle prior to death.
So your vic's burns are concentrated on the face, hands, knees and feet.
There's no fingertip bruising on the face, no areas of pallor.
-But they looked good with - Try to focus on the face.
What about the bruising on the face?
First we have the scratches on the face and neck.
By the way, doctor said no kissing her on the face for one week.
ORACEA is a medicine for use in adults to reduce the pimples or red bumps on the face caused by a condition called rosacea.
And so we could choose numbers of positions on the face to pull that data from.
So on the face, all the answers.
Autopsy report's got Danny with abrasions on the face and body, a cracked skull, blunt-force trauma.
"Alone + Easy Target," Like, Kurt heard that and kissed me on the face...
We might have kissed each other on the face perhaps.

Alternatives:

on someone's facial skin
on someone's countenance
on someone's visage
on someone's facial surface
on someone's cheeks

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in the face vs on the face

"in the face"

"on the face"

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