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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

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

Using place value, we can rewrite the numbers 4,000 and 0.004.

From Textbooks • May 6, 2020

In general their charges are fixed by the place value they create, as that value is established by influences other than the charges themselves.

From Essentials of Economic Theory As Applied to Modern Problems of Industry and Public Policy by Clark, John Bates