The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Confront \Con*front"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Confronted; p. pr.
   & vb. n. Confronting.] [F. confronter; L. con- + frons the
   forehead or front. See Front.]
   1. To stand facing or in front of; to face; esp. to face
      hostilely; to oppose with firmness.
      [1913 Webster]

            We four, indeed, confronted were with four
            In Russian habit.                     --Shak.
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            He spoke and then confronts the bull. --Dryden.
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            Hester caught hold of Pearl, and drew her forcibly
            into her arms, confronting the old Puritan
            magistrate with almost a fierce expression.
                                                  --Hawthorne.
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            It was impossible at once to confront the might of
            France and to trample on the liberties of England.
                                                  --Macaulay.
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   2. To put face to face; to cause to face or to meet; as, to
      confront one with the proofs of his wrong doing.
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   3. To set in opposition for examination; to put in contrast;
      to compare.
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            When I confront a medal with a verse, I only show
            you the same design executed by different hands.
                                                  --Addison.
      [1913 Webster]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

confront
    v 1: oppose, as in hostility or a competition; "You must
         confront your opponent"; "Jackson faced Smith in the boxing
         ring"; "The two enemies finally confronted each other"
         [syn: confront, face]
    2: deal with (something unpleasant) head on; "You must confront
       your problems"; "He faced the terrible consequences of his
       mistakes" [syn: confront, face up, face] [ant: avoid]
    3: present somebody with something, usually to accuse or
       criticize; "We confronted him with the evidence"; "He was
       faced with all the evidence and could no longer deny his
       actions"; "An enormous dilemma faces us" [syn: confront,
       face, present]
    4: be face to face with; "The child screamed when he confronted
       the man in the Halloween costume"

Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0:

207 Moby Thesaurus words for "confront":
   accost, advance, affront, alight upon, analogize, approach,
   appropinquate, approximate, assimilate, await, baffle, balance,
   balk, be imminent, be in store, bear down on, bear down upon,
   bear up, beard, bell the cat, bid defiance, bite the bullet, blast,
   brave, brazen, brazen out, breast, brew, bring before,
   bring forward, bring into analogy, bring into comparison, bring up,
   bump heads, bump into, call out, challenge, checkmate, circumvent,
   close, close in, close with, come, come across, come among,
   come closer, come forward, come near, come on, come up,
   come up against, come upon, compare, compare and contrast,
   compare with, complain, complain loudly, confound, confront with,
   contend, contend with, contrapose, contraposit, contrast,
   contravene, counter, counteract, countermand, counterpose,
   counterwork, cross, dare, dash, defeat, defy, destroy, discomfit,
   disconcert, discountenance, dish, dispute, disrupt, dissent,
   double-dare, draw a comparison, draw a parallel, draw near,
   draw nigh, draw on, elude, encounter, envisage, face, face down,
   face out, face the music, face up, face up to, face with,
   fall across, fall among, fall foul of, fall upon, flout, flummox,
   foil, forthcome, front, frustrate, gain upon, gather, hang over,
   hover, impend, kick against, knock the chocks, lay before,
   lie opposite, lie over, light upon, liken, liken to, loom, lower,
   make a stand, match, measure against, meet, meet boldly,
   meet head-on, meet squarely, meet up with, meet with, menace,
   metaphorize, narrow the gap, near, nonplus, object,
   offer resistance, oppose, outdare, overhang, parallel, perplex,
   pitch upon, place against, place before, polarize, pose against,
   present to, protest, proximate, put in opposition, put it to,
   recalcitrate, relate, reluct, remonstrate, resist, revolt, ruin,
   run a comparison, run across, run into, run smack into,
   run the gauntlet, run up against, run upon, sabotage, scorn,
   scotch, scout, scream defiance, set at defiance, set before,
   set in contrast, set in opposition, set off against,
   set over against, show fight, sidle up to, similize, speak out,
   speak up, spike, spoil, stand, stand at bay, stand opposed,
   stand opposite, stand up against, stand up to, stare down, stem,
   step up, stonewall, strive against, stump, subtend, threaten,
   thwart, upset, view together, weigh, weigh against, withstand