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

In January, the government launched a consultation on a cap amount that would limit the price increase to between zero and 30 percent on the face value of a ticket. —Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 13 Nov. 2025

Well, some are, but most aren't worth more than their face value. —Joyce Orlando, Nashville Tennessean, 13 Nov. 2025

The intentional walk has outlived its usefulness, as anybody who paid as much as $1,371 face value for a ticket to the three World Series games this week at Dodger Stadium can attest. —Barry M. Bloom, Sportico.com, 31 Oct. 2025

Louisville police arrested three men after undercover officers paid for 10 Springsteen tickets, each of them $3 above face value, a detective said at the time. —Leo Bertucci, Louisville Courier Journal, 24 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1851, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for face value

• eigenvalue
• undervalue

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)