face up

1 of 2

adjective or adverb

variants or less commonly faceup 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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective or adverb
Comey has been charged with giving false statements and obstruction of a congressional proceeding, and could face up to five years in prison if convicted. Alexandra Banner, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2025 The charge as detailed in the affidavit is a third-degree felony, which means that if convicted, Latreille could face up to five years in prison on each count. Chris Spargo, PEOPLE, 25 Sep. 2025
Verb
Thousands of Americans face up to 10 inches of snow on Tuesday as wintry weather conditions arrive and temperatures plummet. Matthew Robinson, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Sep. 2025 Combs is set to be sentenced next month and faces up to 10 years for each count. Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 23 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for face up

Word History

First Known Use

Adjective Or Adverb

1809, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1888, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of face up was in 1809

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Face up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/face%20up. Accessed 30 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

faceup

adverb
face·​up ˈfā-ˈsəp How to pronounce faceup (audio)
: with the face up
the card fell faceup
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!