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Definition of face value
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 Up to this time, the Chinese and Mongols had taken us at face value.
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National Geographic, "Episode 3: The United States v. One Tyrannosaurus Bataar," 30 June 2020 Jackson, who has previously earned Trump’s ire, did not accept Stone’s request at face value.
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Tim Elfrink, Washington Post, "Citing pandemic, prosecutors back a 60-day delay for Roger Stone to report to prison," 26 June 2020 When police officers make statements to the public, they are often taken at face value.
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refinery29.com, "All The Police Food Conspiracy Theories Are Putting Workers Of Colour At Risk," 19 June 2020 At face value, all the classic psychological signs...
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Spencer Jakab, WSJ, "Davey the Day Trader Deconstructed," 11 June 2020 As the momentum behind the demand grows, policymakers struggle to accept it at face value.
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Melissa Gira Grant, The New Republic, "The Rush to Redefine “Defund the Police”," 9 June 2020 Taken at face value, the allegations paint the picture of a program with a race problem but also a deficiency in treating players with basic dignity.
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Dan Wolken, USA TODAY, "Opinion: As accusations from players pile up, Kirk Ferentz appears ill-equipped to push for change," 9 June 2020 But taking the data at face value, the numbers look to be trending down, even as last week represented the peak of the virus’s curve so far in Alabama.
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Ramsey Archibald | Rarchibald@al.com, al, "Alabama sees second highest weekly coronavirus case total, hospitalizations down: Week in review," 6 June 2020 Instead, investors buy them at a deep discount, receiving their full face value all at once when the bonds mature.
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Sebastian Pellejero, WSJ, "Zero-Coupon Bond Index Nears Zero Bonds," 26 Mar. 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'face value.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Time Traveler for face value
The first known use of face value was in 1851
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