Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

facepalm

/ˈfeɪsˌpɑ(l)m/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.52 in modern English

Syllables: facepalm
IPA: /ˈfeɪsˌpɑ(l)m/

17

Scrabble Score

8

Letters

1

Syllables

7

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A gesture of bringing one or both palms to the face, with various interpretations including exasperation, chagrin, frustration, embarrassment (one's own or vicarious), etc.

verb

To bring the palm of one’s hand to one’s face as an expression of mixed humor and disbelief, disgust or shame; for example, when one is caught off-guard with a particularly bad pun.

verb

To bring one’s face down to one’s cupped hand or hands.

Example Sentences

"[Cue: William Tell Overture] [sound of Frank Zappa's “San Ber'dino” being played on Japanese instruments] [Kevin (the Muse): “Wargh! It SAID _William Tell!”] [Cantata11 (walking up with a koto): “Oof. Sorry. It's just that the girls had gotten warmed up to the other thingy...”] [Kevin: “William _Tell_, 11.” (facepalm)]"
"“Do you think Carl Sagan might be available?” There was a mass-facepalm. “No.” they chorused."
"A look of realization crossed her face; she looked like she may have given herself a face palm if her hands weren't full."
"According to a study by me, this generates a multibillion facepalm for the UK economy, making everyone who considers it at least eleventy hundred pounds unhappier."
"Christie blinked, then *looked* at Steven. “Do you have any idea what might be different?” “Um... No? Christie facepalmed. “Well, her hair was red this morning, right? It's blonde now. You figure it out.”"
"“Yay! I know you! You're Nicholas Lee, the detective who got fired 'cos of us!” Nina exclaimed happily. Lee facepalmed. “Arrgh...” “Nina...” Tris muttered. “Let's quit while we're ahead, okay?”"

Etymology

From face + palm. Attested since at least 2001.

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈfeɪsˌpɑ(l)m/
British English: /ˈfeɪsˌpɑː(l)m/

Inflected Forms

facepalms (plural) face-palm (alternative) face palm (alternative) facepalms (present, singular) facepalming (participle, present) facepalmed (participle, past) facepalmed (past)

Derived Forms

facepalmy

Frequently Paired Words

headslapper 🤦 🤦♀️ 🤦♂️ smack one's forehead

Questions

How do you pronounce facepalm?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈfeɪsˌpɑ(l)m/.
What does facepalm mean?: A gesture of bringing one or both palms to the face, with various interpretations including exasperation, chagrin, frustration, embarrassment (one's own or vicarious), etc.
Where does facepalm come from?: From face + palm. Attested since at least 2001.

How to pronounce facepalm

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “facepalm”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈfeɪsˌpɑ(l)m/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “facepalm”.
Repeat and practice — Say “facepalm” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.