Etymology From face + plant (“place, set firmly”). Originally skateboarding and snowboarding slang, a humorous variant of handplant, which is an intentional technique in these sports.
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Informal The act of landing face first, as a result of an accident or error.
The skater slipped off his board and did a painful faceplant.
Only by catching himself with his poles had he avoided doing a face plant in the snow.2005, Michael Thomas Ford, Looking For It, Kensington Publishing Corp., →ISBN:
2 more examples
My cheek feels raw where Cherchette kissed me, like I did a face plant onto concrete.2009, Sarah Cross, Dull Boy, Penguin, →ISBN:
2024 February 17, Sharon Adarlo, “AI Hiring Tools are Ignoring Qualified Candidates, Expert Says”https://futurism.com/the-byte/ai-ignoring-qualified-candidates, The_Byte, futurism.com These kind of recruiting resources faceplants are likely to multiply as more businesses adopt these tools for the hiring process.
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Video games Death or defeat in a multiplayer online game.
Etymology From face + plant (“place, set firmly”). Originally skateboarding and snowboarding slang, a humorous variant of handplant, which is an intentional technique in these sports.
Moments before she face-planted on the tile, his hands shot out and grabbed her, pulling her safely to his chest. She face-planted in the middle of his pecs instead.2013, Micah Persell, Of Consuming Fire: Middle of the Garden, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN:
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Informal To completely fumble or fail in an activity, usually in a spectacular fashion.