face up

1 of 2

adjective or adverb

variants or less commonly faceup

ˌfās-ˈəp 

or face-up

: with the face up

After all the cards have been dealt, nondealer takes the top card from his pile and places it on the table, face up.

—Jack Botermans et al.

It didn't matter whether a phone was on or off, or whether it was face up or face down on a desk.

—Ralph K. M. Haurwitz

… we set the table with the forks' tines aggressively face-up.

—Molly O'Neill

For abdominal-flattening crunches, lie faceup on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.

—Michele Meyer

—usually hyphenated before a noun

Players start with four face-up cards …

—Laura McQuarrie

face up

2 of 2

verb

faced up; facing up; faces up

intransitive verb

: to confront or deal directly with someone or something previously avoided

—usually used with to

faced up to my fears

Examples of face up in a Sentence

Adjective or adverb

The cards were dealt faceup.

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective or adverb

Under Utah Law, Franke and Hildebrandt face up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine for each of their six counts of child abuse. —Ct Jones, Rolling Stone, 12 Sep. 2023

If convicted, Donald could face up to 50 years in prison or a life sentence for the alleged murder, and up to five years for evidence tampering. —Samira Asma-Sadeque, Peoplemag, 6 Sep. 2023

He is scheduled for sentencing in January and could face up to five years in federal prison. —Keri Blakinger, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2023

After his girlfriend is possessed during a trip to a cabin in the woods, Ash is once again forced to face up to evil. —Amy MacKelden, ELLE, 6 Sep. 2023

Herbert could face up to 10 years in prison for the charge of theft of government money and up to five years for the charge of making a false statement, prosecutors said. —Maria Elena Little Endara, BostonGlobe.com, 1 Sep. 2023

In Utah, a person found guilty of aggravated child abuse charges can face up to 15 years in prison. —Sean Neumann, Peoplemag, 31 Aug. 2023

If convicted of the charges, the 27-year-old could face up to seven years and four months in prison. —David Hernandez, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Aug. 2023

If found guilty, individuals charged with money laundering could face up to 10 years in prison and/or a fine of up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. —Amarachi Orie, CNN, 17 Aug. 2023

Verb

At sentencing, Mims and Gist face up to 25 years in federal prison due to a dangerous weapon enhancement to their charges. —Amy McDaniel, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Apr. 2024

If convicted, Williams could face up to six years in prison and $10,000 in fines, according to the criminal complaint. —Alec Johnson, Journal Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2024

If convicted, all four face up to 10 years in prison. —Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 16 Apr. 2024

Idaho doctors who prescribe those treatments to transgender youth can face up to 10 years in prison. —Ann Marimow, Washington Post, 15 Apr. 2024

If convicted, Trump could face up to four years in prison for each of the 34 charges against him. —Nik Popli, TIME, 10 Apr. 2024

The 26-year-old Arizona woman faces up to 18 months in prison for her role in the accidental shooting death of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins on the set of the low-budget Western. —Rebecca Keegan, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Apr. 2024

During the eclipse, place a second piece of cardstock, or paper plate, on the ground, and hold the piece with the aluminum foil above the paper, making sure the foil is facing up. —Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 8 Apr. 2024

Hunter Biden also has pleaded not guilty to federal tax crimes in a separate case brought by Weiss in California, facing up to 17 years in prison if convicted. —Tom Hals, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective Or Adverb

1809, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1888, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

faceup

adverb

face·​up ˈfā-ˈsəp 

: with the face up

the card fell faceup