What does faceplant mean?
A faceplant is a dramatic fall in which a person pitches forward and lands directly on their face, and as a verb it means to suffer such a fall. The term emerged from American slang, gaining widespread popularity through skateboarding, BMX, snowboarding, and other action sports where hard falls onto the face are an acknowledged hazard. It is informal in register and typically humorous or wry in tone, though it can describe serious tumbles; saying someone "took a faceplant" usually invites a wince or a laugh rather than alarm. By extension, faceplant is used figuratively to describe an embarrassing or conspicuous failure — a product launch, performance, or plan that goes abruptly and publicly wrong. The word is vivid and compact, which explains its appeal: it names not just any fall, but a specific, undignified, face-first variety. Related slang includes wipeout and header, though neither captures quite the same image.
A fall forwards in which the face strikes the ground.
"The mountain biker's faceplant left him with a bloodied nose and a bent helmet."
Usually preceded by verbs like take, do, or go into.
To fall forward so that one's face hits the ground.
"He tripped over the dog's leash and faceplanted straight into the hedge."
Inflected forms are faceplanted and faceplanting.
To fail abruptly or embarrassingly.
"Their much-hyped app faceplanted on launch day."
Strictly figurative and informal.
Standard plural, used when referring to multiple falls or failures.
"The blooper reel was full of faceplants."
"Faceplant" was popularized by skateboarding and BMX culture of the 1970s and 80s — before that, falling on your face simply didn't have its own word.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of faceplant
Faceplant is a modern English compound formed from "face" plus "plant," with "plant" used in the sense of driving or planting something firmly into the ground. The word arose in American slang, likely within surfing and skateboarding circles, and became widely established during the late twentieth century alongside similar sports-slang coinages such as "wipeout." Both of its component words have deep roots in Old English and Latin respectively, but faceplant itself is a distinctly recent formation.
Related word forms
How faceplant is actually used
Faceplant is informal and often carries humorous or self-deprecating connotations, though it can also describe genuinely painful falls, especially in action sports like skateboarding, snowboarding, and mountain biking. The figurative sense for a public failure is common in casual speech and journalism but is too informal for most formal writing.
Easily confused with faceplant
Not actually confused — this entry is unnecessary; faceplant is a compound of 'face' and 'plant' and has no commonly confused homophone.