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

The man could now face up to 12 years in prison due to a strict law that prohibits the possession of firearms, ammo, and other weapons in the British Overseas Territory, according to NBC News. —Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 24 Apr. 2024

Andrew could face up to 30 years in prison following his conviction. —Liam Quinn, Peoplemag, 22 Apr. 2024

The officers could face up to four years in prison if convicted of involuntary manslaughter. —Noah Osborne, NBC News, 19 Apr. 2024

If convicted, Thug and his five remaining co-defendants (the others either cut plea deals or will be tried separately) could face up to two decades in prison. —Herb Scribner, Washington Post, 18 Apr. 2024

The movie set armorer faces up to 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine for her role in the accidental shooting death of Hutchins, a cinematographer on set of the low-budget Western, in October 2021. —Shelby Slade, The Arizona Republic, 15 Apr. 2024

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

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