Word.ws English Dictionary

setting one's face against

setting one's face against is the present participle and gerund of set one's face against.

Meaning of set one's face against

Verb

set one's face against (third-person singular simple present sets one's face against, present participle setting one's face against, simple past and past participle set one's face against)

  1. (UK) To oppose strenuously; to determine not to do or accept.
    • As these gatherings generally ended in drunkenness and rough and dangerous fun, the ministers set their faces against the observance, and were seconded in their efforts by the more intelligent and well-behaved in the community.1911, James George Frazer, The Golden Bough, volume 10, page 232

Questions about setting one's face against

What is setting one's face against the present participle and gerund of?
Setting one's face against is the present participle and gerund of set one's face against.

Words near setting one's face against in the dictionary

  1. setting on
  2. setting on a pedestal
  3. setting on fire
  4. setting on foot
  5. setting one's cap at
  6. setting one's face against
  7. setting one's hair on fire
  8. setting one's hand to
  9. setting one's heart on
  10. setting one's shoulder to the wheel
  11. setting one's sights

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: setting one's face against (page history and authors); set one's face against (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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