in your face

[ in-yoor feys ]

idiomInformal.
  1. Also in-your-face .

    • seeming to express or invite confrontation; defiant, militant, or provocative:His political commentary is always in your face. Something drives him to break every rule, and to do it with a deep-down, in-your-face belligerence.

    • displayed or advertised flagrantly, obtrusively, or forcefully: Everywhere you go, alcohol is in your face.

    • (of a color, flavor, or the like) strong or vivid; bold rather than subtle: The brew has a huge, in-your-face hop flavor, but very little bitterness.

  2. in a provocative, flagrant, or bold way: They’re so brazen—they do their cheating in your face, daring you to do something about it.

  1. (used as an exclamation to tease someone or flaunt something in a confrontational way): In your face, Cougars—we won!

Origin of in your face

1
First recorded in 1985–90

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use in your face in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for in-your-face

in-your-face

adjective
  1. slang aggressive and confrontational: provocative in-your-face activism

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with in your face

in your face

Defiantly confrontational; also, an exclamation of contempt. For example, This show is not suitable for youngsters; its attitude about sex is in your face, or In your face, mister! This slangy expression originated in the 1970s in basketball as a phrase of contempt used against the opposing team and was extended to other areas by the mid-1980s.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.