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• place value
  place value

  noun

  the value of the place, or position, of a digit in a number or series.
• place-value
  place-value

  adjective

  denoting a series in which successive digits represent successive powers of the base

place value

American  

noun

Arithmetic.

• place values
  plural

1. the value of the place, or position, of a digit in a number or series.

   In the number 794, the location of the digit 4 has a place value of one.

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place-value British  

adjective

1. denoting a series in which successive digits represent successive powers of the base

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• place values
  plural

Etymology

Origin of place value

First recorded in 1905–10

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

place value place-value

In an interview with the Journal, Nadella argued that tech giants should work to “earn the social permission” of the public and that companies should place value on human capital, not just in-house AI capability.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 24, 2026

We all need to place value on vetted, factual information upon which we can make sound and wise decisions.

From Salon ● Dec. 14, 2023

In one corner of the classroom, Ms. Montano huddles with a small group of students, working through a lesson about place value: Is 23.4 or 2.34 the bigger number?

From New York Times ● Oct. 15, 2022

When we work with decimals, it is often necessary to round the number to the nearest required place value.

From Textbooks ● May 6, 2020

The use of words with place value began at least as early as the 6th century of the Christian era.

From The Hindu-Arabic Numerals by Louis Charles Karpinski

A classic sign of dyscalculia is difficulty in grasping the place-value system, according to Babtie.

From Nature ● Jan. 9, 2013

Nobody knows when the Indians made the switch to a Babylonian-style place-value number system.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife

Like the Babylonians, the Mayans had a place-value system of digits and places.

From "Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea" by Charles Seife