market value

American  

noun

1. the value of a business, property, etc., in terms of what it can be sold for on the open market; current value (distinguished from book value).

2. market price.

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market value British  

noun

1. the amount obtainable on the open market for the sale of property, financial assets, or goods and services Compare par value book value

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Etymology

Origin of market value

First recorded in 1685–95

Compare meaning

How does market-value compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• par value vs. market value

Example Sentences

The company has about $15 billion of preferred stock outstanding and an equity market value of $40 billion.

From Barron's • Jun. 23, 2026

Shares in Elon Musk’s rocket company SpaceX halted their three-day slide that had erased roughly $600 billion off its market value.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2026

Tuesday’s decline comes after SpaceX shares dropped more than 16% on Monday, shedding $400 billion in market value.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 23, 2026

It has shed more than $1 trillion in market value since last fall.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 23, 2026

“We need to talk about that. You keep taking on charity cases, you’re gonna drive down the fair market value of my man’s brain.”

From "The Smartest Kid in the Universe" by Chris Grabenstein