How to Use save face in a Sentence

save face

idiom
Definition of save facenext
  • That wording usually is used so one side can save face.
    — Kent Somers, The Arizona Republic, 10 May 2021
  • Wow, this woman straight-up pretends not to know her own granddaughter to save face.
    — Emma Specter, Vogue, 22 June 2023
  • Don’t fall into the trap of trying to gaslight the public to avoid liability or to save face.
    — Expert Panel®, Forbes, 21 June 2022
  • After these atrocities, we should be concerned that the butcher gets to save face?
    — William Falk, The Week, 11 June 2022
  • The pilots were later awarded medals to allow Moscow to save face.
    — Kyle Mizokami, Popular Mechanics, 4 May 2023
  • George was struggling to save face after this mortifying fall from grace that had made him, in many ways, a laughing stock.
    — Michael Klein, SPIN, 8 Aug. 2022
  • The disorganized area leaders are now trying to save face.
    — Jason Williams, The Enquirer, 26 May 2023
  • Say nothing, leak everything and in the event of a stalemate agree to save face and move on by blaming the media for blowing things out of proportion.
    — Mark Craig, Star Tribune, 26 July 2021
  • That could deter a Turkish attack and help Damascus save face.
    — Paul Iddon, Forbes, 20 June 2022
  • The sentencing had been a prelude to a pardon and release—a way for the junta to save face and not appear to succumb to American pressure.
    — Joel Simon, The New Yorker, 13 Feb. 2022
  • When the product rollout goes awry, Miles scrambles to save face and announces a revolutionary product called the Egg.
    — Men's Health, 15 Feb. 2023
  • Responsible statesmen in the West must think through how a nuclear power can save face even if its aims must be thwarted.
    — Nr Editors, National Review, 3 Mar. 2022
  • Three days later, Obama, clearly trying to save face, followed suit.
    — Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2020
  • Finland is braced for further actions, said former Finnish general Toveri, if only because Putin may feel the need to save face.
    — Liz Sly, Washington Post, 14 May 2022
  • And who knows, now that Carlson’s out of a job, maybe the best move to save face is to explore a presidential run himself, something openly discussed before.
    — James Pindell, BostonGlobe.com, 24 Apr. 2023
  • But anyone who has eaten this cut of meat often has likely encountered at least one tough, dry chop, compelling them to try to choke it down anyway to save face or avoid food waste.
    — Aaron Hutcherson, Washington Post, 7 Oct. 2022
  • The triumphant stars would save face, in the knowledge that their dronings, rich in platitude and gratitude, would never make the cut, and our Sunday evening would be magically freed up.
    — Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 28 Mar. 2022
  • The pretense of supporting a stable government gave everyone in power a chance to save face at the expense of ordinary Afghans.
    — George Packer, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2022
  • The folks at Pontiac realize this is their image leader, and they're not all convinced the T/A can lose its four-speed, big-motor macho all at once and save face with a turbocharger.
    — Don Sherman, Car and Driver, 1 May 2023
  • The folks at Pontiac realize this is their image leader, and they're not all convinced the T/A can lose its four-speed, big-motor macho all at once and save face with a turbocharger.
    — Don Sherman, Car and Driver, 1 May 2023
  • But the leaking of details about Israeli involvement in Sunday’s episode raised fears that Iran would seek to save face by mounting a stronger military response than usual.
    — BostonGlobe.com, 12 Apr. 2021
  • Police are trying to save face since they got caught (admittedly) unprepared.
    — cleveland, 14 June 2020
  • His rivals in the Russian military have been humiliated by the fiasco, while Putin has struggled to save face and regain his grip on power.
    — Simon Shuster, Time, 27 June 2023
  • As far as the photo goes, Nevin indicated the Angels can save face by employing image editing and insert Ohtani’s head onto the body double, who was escorted off the field through the bullpen gate after the photo.
    — Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2023
  • For now, the hostilities have followed a familiar routine that allows both sides to save face without forcing the other into a major escalation.
    — New York Times, 21 Apr. 2022
  • They are caught between coronavirus concerns, with few people vaccinated on one side — and on the other, politicians hoping to save face by holding the games and the International Olympic Committee with billions of dollars on the line.
    — Chronicle Staff, San Francisco Chronicle, 27 June 2021
  • And even if Xi and other Chinese Communist Party leaders can brush off public pressure, their own prickly pride may demand some symbolic countermeasure to save face.
    — Chris Buckley, BostonGlobe.com, 5 Feb. 2023
  • This latest hearing didn’t seem to accomplish much more, as Giuliani ended up trying to save face before later struggling to get through his own testimony without also making a mess of himself.
    — Erin Corbett, refinery29.com, 3 Dec. 2020
  • Meanwhile, Twitter has been attempting to save face by declaring any account impersonating someone else will be suspended.
    — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 11 Nov. 2022
  • The finale charts Elizabeth and Sunny's desperate attempts to save face before their relationship and Theranos implode.
    — Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 7 Apr. 2022

Some of 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.

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