Rate this phrase:3.3 / 4 votes

face the music

To accept or confront the unpleasant consequences of one's actions.

Etymology:

  • Origin unclear. It may be from either the theater or the military. Either facing literal music: as the performers on the stage are facing the music from the orchestra pit when confronting a possibly hostile audience; or a soldier is facing the military band at a dressing-down ceremony; or the music is by grim humor a euphemism for the noise of battle.
79 Views

Submitted on September 01, 2009

Additional definitions for 'face the music':

Face the MusicTo confront the consequences of ones decisions and actions, or to accept the responsibility of one’s actions
See them all »

Translation

Find a translation for the face the music phrase in other languages:

tváří v tvář hudbě

Select another language:

  • - Select -
  • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
  • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
  • Español (Spanish)
  • Esperanto (Esperanto)
  • 日本語 (Japanese)
  • Português (Portuguese)
  • Deutsch (German)
  • العربية (Arabic)
  • Français (French)
  • Русский (Russian)
  • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
  • 한국어 (Korean)
  • עברית (Hebrew)
  • Gaeilge (Irish)
  • Українська (Ukrainian)
  • اردو (Urdu)
  • Magyar (Hungarian)
  • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
  • Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Italiano (Italian)
  • தமிழ் (Tamil)
  • Türkçe (Turkish)
  • తెలుగు (Telugu)
  • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
  • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
  • Čeština (Czech)
  • Polski (Polish)
  • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
  • Românește (Romanian)
  • Nederlands (Dutch)
  • Ελληνικά (Greek)
  • Latinum (Latin)
  • Svenska (Swedish)
  • Dansk (Danish)
  • Suomi (Finnish)
  • فارسی (Persian)
  • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
  • հայերեն (Armenian)
  • Norsk (Norwegian)
  • English (English)

Nearby phrases

Some more phrases from our dictionary similar to face the music

How to pronounce this phrase?

Discuss this face the music phrase with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this face the music definition to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "face the music." Phrases.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 3 Dec. 2024. <https://www.phrases.com/phrase/face-the-music_3503>.

    We need you!

    Help us build the largest human-edited phrases collection on the web!

    Quiz

    Are you a phrases master?

    »
    There's no place like ________ .
    A the office
    B bed
    C work
    D home