face-palm

verb

ˈfās-ˌpä(l)m How to pronounce face-palm (audio)
-ˌpȯ(l)m
variants or less commonly facepalm
face-palmed also facepalmed; face-palming also facepalming; face-palms also facepalms

intransitive verb

: to cover one's face with the hand as an expression of embarrassment, dismay, or exasperation
But her body language was not good from the start on Saturday. She face-palmed after missing one forehand early, then shook her head after another errant shot.Jeff Hartsell
facepalm noun
or less commonly face-palm
There's a kind of facepalm moment in the terrific pilot episode of Amazon's terrific new series Transparent when you realize that the title is a pun. Phil Maciak

Examples of face-palm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Jamala, who is currently in Australia, reacted to the news by posting a picture of herself in front of the Sydney Opera House on Instagram with a face-palm emoji superimposed. Ivan Nechepurenko, New York Times, 20 Nov. 2023 Phoenix Suns star Devin Booker kept his reaction simple, leaving a face-palm emoji in the comments alongside his peers. Natasha Dye, Peoplemag, 28 Aug. 2023

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of face-palm was in 1996

Dictionary Entries Near face-palm

Cite this Entry

“Face-palm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/face-palm. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.

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