face up
1 of 2adjective 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.
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
Ralph K. M. Haurwitz… we set the table with the forks' tines aggressively face-up.—Molly O'Neill
Molly O'NeillFor abdominal-flattening crunches, lie faceup on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.—Michele Meyer
—usually hyphenated before a nounMichele MeyerPlayers start with four face-up cards …—Laura McQuarrie
Laura McQuarrie
faced up; facing up; faces up
: 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 WebCt 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
Tom Hals, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024
The 34-year-old faced up to a year behind bars after being convicted of misdemeanor assault in December.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 9 Apr. 2024
Majors, who has maintained his innocence, faced up to one year behind bars.
—EW.com, 8 Apr. 2024
The actor faced up to a year of jail time for his conviction.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
James and Jennifer Crumbley, both found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in separate trials, are facing up to 15 years in prison per the four counts — each representing a student killed by their son, Ethan, in 2021.
—Erik Ortiz, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
If convicted, the 30 Rock Emmy winner faces up to 18 months behind bars.
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
Mercurio will face up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted.
—Patrick Smith, NBC News, 9 Apr. 2024
Each of them faces up to 20 years in prison when they're sentenced in July, but prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence of about three years.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 3 Apr. 2024
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
Hunter Biden also has pleaded not guilty to federal tax crimes in a separate case brought by Weiss in California, facing up to 17 years in prison if convicted.
—Tom Hals, USA TODAY, 13 Apr. 2024
The 34-year-old faced up to a year behind bars after being convicted of misdemeanor assault in December.
—Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 9 Apr. 2024
Majors, who has maintained his innocence, faced up to one year behind bars.
—EW.com, 8 Apr. 2024
The actor faced up to a year of jail time for his conviction.
—Benjamin Vanhoose, Peoplemag, 8 Apr. 2024
James and Jennifer Crumbley, both found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in separate trials, are facing up to 15 years in prison per the four counts — each representing a student killed by their son, Ethan, in 2021.
—Erik Ortiz, NBC News, 4 Apr. 2024
If convicted, the 30 Rock Emmy winner faces up to 18 months behind bars.
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 9 Apr. 2024
Mercurio will face up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted.
—Patrick Smith, NBC News, 9 Apr. 2024
Each of them faces up to 20 years in prison when they're sentenced in July, but prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence of about three years.
—Aaron Katersky, ABC News, 3 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'face up.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Dictionary Entries Near face up
Cite this Entry
“Face up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/face%20up. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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Kids Definition
faceup
adverb
face·up
ˈfā-ˈsəp 
: with the face up
the card fell faceup
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