2 N‑SING The fabric of a society or system is its basic structure, with all the customs and beliefs that make it work successfully. □ [+ of ] The fabric of society has been deeply damaged by the previous regime.
3 N‑SING The fabric of a building is its walls, roof, and the materials with which it is built. □ [+ of ] Condensation will eventually cause the fabric of the building to rot away. SYNONYMS fabric NOUN 1
cloth: She began cleaning the wound with a piece of cloth.
materiaclass="underline" …the thick material of her skirt.
textile: …decorative textiles for the home.
fab|ri|cate /fæ br I ke I t/ (fabricates , fabricating , fabricated )
1 VERB If someone fabricates information, they invent it in order to deceive people. □ [V n] All four claim that officers fabricated evidence against them. □ [V -ed] Eleven key officials were hanged on fabricated charges. ● fab|ri|ca|tion /fæ br I ke I ʃ ə n/ (fabrications ) N‑VAR □ She described the article about her as a 'complete fabrication'. □ This story is total fabrication.
2 VERB If something is fabricated from different materials or substances, it is made out of those materials or substances. □ [be V -ed + from ] All the tools are fabricated from high quality steel. □ [V n] …a plant which fabricates airplane components. [Also V n + from ]
fabu|lous /fæ bjʊləs/ ADJ If you describe something as fabulous , you are emphasizing that you like it a lot or think that it is very good. [INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □ This is a fabulous album. It's fresh, varied, fun. □ The scenery and weather were fabulous.
fa|cade /fəsɑː d/ (facades ) also façade
1 N‑COUNT The facade of a building, especially a large one, is its front wall or the wall that faces the street.
2 N‑SING A facade is an outward appearance which is deliberately false and gives you a wrong impression about someone or something. □ [+ of ] They hid the troubles plaguing their marriage behind a facade of family togetherness.
face
➊ NOUN USES
➋ VERB AND PHRASAL VERB USES
➊ face ◆◆◆ /fe I s/ (faces )
→ Please look at categories 28 to 32 to see if the expression you are looking for is shown under another headword.
1 N‑COUNT [oft poss N ] Your face is the front part of your head from your chin to the top of your forehead, where your mouth, eyes, nose, and other features are. □ A strong wind was blowing right in my face. □ He was going red in the face and breathing with difficulty. □ She had a beautiful face.
2 N‑COUNT [adj N ] If your face is happy, sad, or serious, for example, the expression on your face shows that you are happy, sad, or serious. □ He was walking around with a sad face. □ The priest frowned into the light, his face puzzled.
3 N‑COUNT The face of a cliff, mountain, or building is a vertical surface or side of it. □ [+ of ] …the north face of the Eiger. □ He scrambled 200 feet up the cliff face.
4 N‑COUNT The face of a clock or watch is the surface with the numbers or hands on it, which shows the time.
5 N‑SING If you say that the face of an area, institution, or field of activity is changing, you mean its appearance or nature is changing. □ [+ of ] …the changing face of the British countryside.
6 N‑SING If you refer to something as the particular face of an activity, belief, or system, you mean that it is one particular aspect of it, in contrast to other aspects. □ [+ of ] Who ever thought people would see Arsenal as the acceptable face of football?
7 N‑UNCOUNT If you lose face , you do something which makes you appear weak and makes people respect or admire you less. If you do something in order to save face , you do it in order to avoid appearing weak and losing people's respect or admiration. □ To cancel the airport would mean a loss of face for the present governor. □ She claimed they'd been in love, but I sensed she was only saying this to save face.
8 → see also about-face , face value , poker face
9 PHRASE If you say that someone can do something until they are blue in the face , you are emphasizing that however much they do it, it will not make any difference. [EMPHASIS ] □ You can criticise him until you're blue in the face, but you'll never change his personality.
10 PHRASE If someone or something is face down , their face or front points downwards. If they are face up , their face or front points upwards. □ All the time Stephen was lying face down and unconscious in the bath tub. □ Charles laid down his cards face up.
11 PHRASE You can use the expression ' on the face of the earth ' to mean 'in the whole world', when you are emphasizing a statement that you are making or making a very exaggerated statement. [EMPHASIS ] □ No human being on the face of the earth could do anything worse than what he did.
12 PHRASE If you come face to face with someone, you meet them and can talk to them or look at them directly. □ [+ with ] We were strolling into the town when we came face to face with Jacques Dubois. □ It was the first face-to-face meeting between the two men.
13 PHRASE If you come face to face with a difficulty or reality, you cannot avoid it and have to deal with it. □ Eventually, he came face to face with discrimination again.