face value

noun

1

: the value indicated on the face (as of a postage stamp or a stock certificate)

2

: the apparent value or significance

if their remarks may be taken at face value

Examples of face value in a Sentence

We paid $100 for tickets that had a face value of $50.

Recent Examples on the Web

The filing also details various financial agreements, including convertible notes with face values of $1,051,664 and secured promissory notes with face values of $101,550. —Quartz Bot, Quartz, 19 Nov. 2024

The deal, however, hinged on EchoStar bondholders accepting a $1.57 billion discount on the face value of their debt. —Aldo Svaldi, The Denver Post, 15 Nov. 2024

There usually are, but they are found on the secondary market where in the past six months data shows more and more of these tickets priced below face value. —Eric Fuller, Forbes, 18 Sep. 2024

His audience was larger—lines curving around blocks, scalpers demanding hundreds above face value. —Stephen Metcalf, The Atlantic, 17 Sep. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

face value

noun

1

: the value indicated on the face of something (as a coin, bill, bond, or insurance policy)

2

: the apparent worth or significance

can't take what he says at face value

Legal Definition

face value

noun

: the value indicated on the face of something (as a stock certificate)