value

American  

[val-yoo] / ˈvæl ju /

noun

• values
  plural

1. 

   relative worth, merit, or importance.

   He knows the value of a college education.

   In chess, the queen has a very high value.

   Synonyms:

   utility

2. monetary or material worth, as in commerce or trade.

   This piece of land has greatly increased in value.

3. the worth of something in terms of the amount of other things for which it can be exchanged or in terms of some medium of exchange.

   A weekly allowance can help children understand the value of money.

   When planning how much to give to charity, consider the value of your time as a volunteer.

   Synonyms:

   price, cost

4. equivalent worth or return in money, material, services, etc..

   Employees agree to give value for value received and to perform their duties in an efficient and workmanlike manner.

5. estimated or assigned worth; valuation.

   The painting has a current value of $500,000, according to Sotheby’s.

6. denomination, as of a monetary issue or a postage stamp.

   The 10-cent values of this 1940 U.S. stamp series were issued in lesser quantities than the 2-cent and 1-cent values.

7. Mathematics.

   1. magnitude; quantity; number represented by a figure, symbol, or the like.

      the value of an angle;

      the value of x;

      the value of a sum.

   2. a point in the range of a function; a point in the range corresponding to a given point in the domain of a function.

      The value of x2 at 2 is 4.

8. import or meaning; force; significance.

   The value of a word depends partly on its user and context.

9. favorable regard; liking.

   Some of my immigrant students seemed not to share my high value of their culture.

10. Sociology. values, the attitudes, behaviors, social structures, etc., toward which the people of a society or group have a deeply ingrained, positive or negative emotional regard.

    In the prevailing American system of values, personal liberty is cherished, while lying to the public is condemned.

11. Ethics. any object or quality desirable as a means or as an end in itself.

12. Fine Arts.

    1. degree of lightness or darkness in a color.

       In this painting he pairs greens of different value with the occasional touch of a complementary color.

    2. the relation of light and shade in a painting, drawing, or the like.

13. Music. the relative length or duration of a tone signified by a note.

    In a triplet, the three eighth notes have the same value as two in duple meter.

14. Mining. values, the marketable portions of an orebody.

    The rock must then be processed to extract the values from the ore.

15. Phonetics.

    1. quality.

    2. the phonetic equivalent of a letter, as the sound of a in hat, sang, etc.

---

verb (used with object)

• values,
  present (3rd person singular)
• valued,
  past participle,  past
• valuing
  present participle

1. to regard or esteem highly.

   He values her friendship.

   Synonyms:

   prize

2. to calculate or reckon the monetary value of; give a specified material or financial value to; assess; appraise.

   The company values its assets at 80 million dollars.

3. to consider with respect to worth, excellence, usefulness, or importance.

   Don’t rush to decide on this option without first valuing the advantages of privacy and control against the higher cost.

idioms

1. of value, having notable worth, usefulness, or importance.

   Avoid packing items of value in your checked baggage.

   She always contributes something of value to the discussion.

value British  

/ ˈvæljuː /

noun

1. the desirability of a thing, often in respect of some property such as usefulness or exchangeability; worth, merit, or importance

2. an amount, esp a material or monetary one, considered to be a fair exchange in return for a thing; assigned valuation

   the value of the picture is £10 000

3. reasonable or equivalent return; satisfaction

   value for money

4. precise meaning or significance

5. (plural) the moral principles and beliefs or accepted standards of a person or social group

   a person with old-fashioned values

6. maths

   1. a particular magnitude, number, or amount

      the value of the variable was 7

   2. the particular quantity that is the result of applying a function or operation for some given argument

      the value of the function for x=3 was 9

7. music short for time value

8. 1. a gradation of tone from light to dark or of colour luminosity

   2. the relation of one of these elements to another or to the whole picture

9. phonetics the quality or tone of the speech sound associated with a written character representing it

   `g' has the value dʒ in English `gem'

---

verb

1. to assess or estimate the worth, merit, or desirability of; appraise

2. to have a high regard for, esp in respect of worth, usefulness, merit, etc; esteem or prize

   to value freedom

3. (foll by at) to fix the financial or material worth of (a unit of currency, work of art, etc)

   jewels valued at £40 000

value Scientific  

/ văl′yo̅o̅ /

1. Mathematics An assigned or calculated numerical quantity.

2. The relative darkness or lightness of a color. Value measures where a color falls on an achromatic scale from white to black.

3. Compare hue saturation

---

value More Idioms  

1. see at face value.

---

Usage

What are other ways to say value? To value something is to consider it with respect to worth, excellence, usefulness, or importance. How is value different from esteem, appreciate, and prize? Learn more on Thesaurus.com.

Synonym Usage

Value, worth imply intrinsic excellence or desirability. Value is that quality of anything which renders it desirable or useful: the value of sunlight or good books. Worth implies especially spiritual qualities of mind and character, or moral excellence: Few knew her true worth.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonvalue
  noun
• prevalue
  noun
• supervalue
  noun
• misvalue
  verb (used with object)
• outvalue
  verb (used with object)
• self-valuing
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• values
  plural

Participles

• valuing
  present
• valued
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• value
  simple
• values
  simple
• have valued
  perfect
• has valued
  perfect
• am valuing
  progressive
• are valuing
  progressive
• is valuing
  progressive
• have been valuing
  perfect progressive
• has been valuing
  perfect progressive

Past

• valued
  simple
• had valued
  perfect
• was valuing
  progressive
• were valuing
  progressive
• had been valuing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will value
  simple
• will have valued
  perfect
• will be valuing
  progressive
• will have been valuing
  perfect progressive

---

Etymology

Origin of value

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Old French, noun use of feminine past participle of valoir “to be of worth,” from Latin valēre “to be strong, be well, be of worth”; see also wield

---

Explanation

When you value something, you consider it important and worthwhile. For example, if you value someone’s opinion, you will ask that person's advice before making a big decision. Value has to do with how much something is worth, either in terms of cash or importance. As a verb, it means "holding something in high regard," (like "I value our friendship") but it can also mean "determine how much something is worth," like a prize valued at $200. The noun value also relates to worth, like a used car that is a good value, the value of good health, or the ideals we have, like "My values include honesty and fairness."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

value values valued valuing

The IMF has taken the government's Budget plans at face value and on trust.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

Meanwhile, employees have been jolted by sharp drops in the value of stock-based pay that could take years to recover.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 17, 2026

Morgan sees a few potential catalysts for the stock, including SpaceX’s own shares gaining in value.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

In the joke that inspires the special’s title, she measures an Instagram comment’s subzero value in a wide scope, lampooning the communal yet cartoonish nature of our endless scroll.

From Salon ● Oct. 16, 2026

Having never fluctuated much in value, triple-A-rated subprime-backed CDOs registered on Morgan Stanley’s internal reports as virtually riskless.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

Many tenants can’t afford rent, even though prices have largely been frozen for the last four years and home values are dropping.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Mortgage rates above 7% might not be enough to crack home values if owners hold the line.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

Albert is PNG's first female superstar - but that meant challenging some old values back home.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

Because Mg-suite samples from Chang'e-6 and Apollo have similar Mg# values, the researchers concluded that the mantle cumulates beneath both sides of the Moon share broadly similar chemical characteristics.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 14, 2026

What a culture values, is an insight into that culture’s aesthetics.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

Verizon and AT&T may also be interested in some of those licenses, which altogether are valued at $11.3 billion, according to Petti.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

He abruptly sold the Lakers in August, in a deal that valued the team — not just Walter’s controlling interest — at $12.5 billion.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Comparing high-school seniors from the classes of 1976, 1991 and 2006, researchers found that later cohorts valued leisure more.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

As mayor, Burnham previously declared the dinners from Man City, valued at a combined total of £1,000 for hospitality.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

Apparently, not all the soldiers valued her as the Storyteller.

From "When the Sea Turned to Silver" by Grace Lin

Identifying and valuing taxable wealth will challenge the state’s tax authorities.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

Penske Automotive stock advances after agreeing to go private by its biggest investors in a deal valuing the company at $16.3 billion.

From Barron's ● Oct. 15, 2026

Diller’s People Inc. offered in June to buy the remaining stake of the casino company it didn’t already own, in a deal valuing the company at around $12.4 billion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

When hiring, Kindersley says she looks for people with "equal EQ as IQ", valuing emotional intelligence alongside ability.

From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026

They had come closer together, relying on and valuing each other’s capacities.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---

Related Words

• benefit
• content
• import
• importance
• meaning
• power
• profit
• purpose
• quality
• sense
• significance
• use
• valuation

---