English idiom · neutral · spoken & written · BrE & AmE

take something at face value: meaning and examples

take something at face value means accept something exactly as it appears.

Memory hook: Build a clear mental picture from “take something at face value” and connect it to this meaning: accept something exactly as it appears.

How to use “take something at face value”

Common mistake: Treat “take something at face value” as a fixed expression. Notice its exact word order in the examples.

Learn it in context

This expression belongs to Lesson 12, where you can compare it with other idioms about truth and practise it interactively.

Open the full lesson →

Related tools

Compare similar expressions