MEANING
1. An exterior face of a building, especially its principal or street-facing front.
2. An outward display that conceals a different underlying reality.
Use it for
first impressions; street views; public versus private appearanceContrast the face presented to the street with what lies behind it.
Words that belong together
- stone facade
- restore the facade
- ornate facade
On the page
The pale facade concealed a maze of cramped offices.
At sunset, the glass facade reflected the opposite apartment block.
They restored the facade before repairing the rooms behind it.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- facade
Usage notes
Primary category: architecture. Variant façade; a facade need not reveal the interior's condition. Other exterior faces may also be called facades. Count noun: facades; spelling façade, plural façades.
Practice this word in a sentenceYour margin notes
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