student asking question

What does "In one's face" mean?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

"In one's face" is an idiomatic phrase that means something is so shocking and/or annoying that it is hard to ignore. If something is physically "in one's face" it means that something is physically near your face. Ex: He got right into my face that I could smell his bad breath. Ex: She waved her cash prize right in his face. "In one's face" can also be used as a rude and aggressive declaration of triumph. If someone says "in your face," they are saying that they won something or defeated over you in some sort of way. Ex: In your face! I won! Ex: I knew I could beat you. In your face! I proved you wrong.

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