in the face of (something)

1. In spite of; notwithstanding. Some people still believe the medication to be harmful, even in the face of thousands of scientific studies proving otherwise. In the face of the boss's disapproval, we decided to go forward with the project anyway. I can't believe you would do something so dangerous in the face of our warnings.

2. When threatened by or confronted with. It's hard to be an optimist in the face of so much tragedy and turmoil in the news each day. No, we didn't end up making it to the wedding—not in the face of a hurricane and cancelled flights. How do you respond in the face of adversity? Do you get back up and keep fighting?

in the face of

1. Despite the opposition of, notwithstanding, as in In the face of published statistics, they insist there is no flu epidemic. [Early 1800s] Also see fly in the face of.

2. When confronted with, as in It is hard for brokers to be cheerful in the face of a falling stock market. [Late 1800s]

in the face of something

If you do something in the face of problems or a difficult situation, you do it while dealing with those things. She has shown great courage in the face of her illness. Webster strongly supported the project, in the face of opposition from some of his colleagues.

in the face of something

even though something, usually a danger, problem or unpleasant situation, etc. exists: In the face of all the evidence against you, how can you say that you’re innocent? ♢ She married him in the face of opposition from both her parents. ♢ In the face of very dangerous conditions, they managed to rescue all the men from the ship.