face valuen.1. The value printed or written on the face, as of a coin or postage stamp.2. See par value.3. Apparent significance or value: took their compliments at face value.American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.face value n 1. (Banking & Finance) the value written or stamped on the face of a commercial paper or coin 2. apparent worth or value, as opposed to real worth Collins English Dictionary ? Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014face val?ue (?fe?s ?væl yu for 1; ?fe?s ?væl yu for 2 ) n. 1. the value printed on the face of a stock, bond, etc. 2. apparent value. [1875?80] Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.