in the face of

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in the face of

1. when confronted with

   in the face of growing pressure, the company changed its logo

   • 2020 December 2, Industry Insider, “The costs on cutting carbon”, in Rail, page 76:

     Significant rail projects have been mothballed before in the face of changed circumstances - in particular, the LNER Woodhead project which was postponed due to wartime conditions and not revived until 1948, as money became available after nationalisation.

2. despite, against, contrary to
   • 1999 March 20, Natalie Angiers, The Guardian:

     They declare ringing confirmation for their theories even in the face of feeble data.

   • 2018, Vassilis Vassilikos, ... And Dreams Are Dreams

     His daughters were serious. In fact the elder one had joined the Communist Youth, where the kids were almost puritanical, growing up with principles in the face of the triple enemy: capitalism-imperialism-Americanocracy.

3. (archaic or law) on the face of

• fly in the face of
• in face of
• spit in the face of