save face

idiom

: to avoid having other people lose respect for oneself

He tried to save face by working overtime.

Examples of save face in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Conservatives derided the bill which appeared to be a peace offering as an attempt from the speaker to save face. —

Ken Tran, USA TODAY, 20 Apr. 2024 Some analysts interpreted that as meaning that Iran wanted to put on a show of force to save face after the killing of its officers but did not want a full-fledged war with Israel or the United States. —

Peter Baker, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2024 The unusual bout of legislative maneuvering late in session provided a way for both DeSantis and Renner to save face on one of the speaker’s top priorities. —

Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald, 1 Mar. 2024 Milan would only likely contemplate selling Leao for north of $129m, with the Rossoneri knowing PSG need to make a statement in order to save face following Mbappe’s departure. —

Emmet Gates, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024 See all Example Sentences for save face

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'save face.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.