on the face of the earth

English

Prepositional phrase

on the face of the earth

1. Synonym of in the world

Usage notes

Used as an intensifier after superlative adjectives.

See also

• off the face of the earth
• from the face of the earth

Further reading

• “on the face of the earth” in Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, Longman.
• “on the face of the earth”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.
• “on the face of the earth” (US) / “on the face of the earth” (UK) in Macmillan English Dictionary.