the front face of a building, especially a large or attractive one facing a street
The grand facade of the museum drew crowds of tourists.
They restored the facade to its original beauty.
✦ From French façade, from face (“face”), from Latin facia (“face”), from faciō (“I make, I do”).
a deceptive outward appearance that hides the true nature of something
She kept up a brave facade despite her worries.
His confidence was just a facade to hide his fear.
✦ From French façade, from face (“face”), from Latin facia (“face”), from faciō (“I make, I do”). The figurative sense developed in the 19th century.
