value
Americannoun
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values
plural
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relative worth, merit, or importance.
He knows the value of a college education.
In chess, the queen has a very high value.
- Synonyms:
- utility
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monetary or material worth, as in commerce or trade.
This piece of land has greatly increased in value.
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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.
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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.
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estimated or assigned worth; valuation.
The painting has a current value of $500,000, according to Sotheby’s.
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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.
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Mathematics.
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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.
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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.
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import or meaning; force; significance.
The value of a word depends partly on its user and context.
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favorable regard; liking.
Some of my immigrant students seemed not to share my high value of their culture.
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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.
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Ethics. any object or quality desirable as a means or as an end in itself.
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Fine Arts.
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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.
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the relation of light and shade in a painting, drawing, or the like.
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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.
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Mining. values, the marketable portions of an orebody.
The rock must then be processed to extract the values from the ore.
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Phonetics.
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the phonetic equivalent of a letter, as the sound of a in hat, sang, etc.
verb (used with object)
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values,
present (3rd person singular)
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valued,
past participle, past
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valuing
present participle
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to regard or esteem highly.
He values her friendship.
- Synonyms:
- prize
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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.
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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
noun
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the desirability of a thing, often in respect of some property such as usefulness or exchangeability; worth, merit, or importance
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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
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reasonable or equivalent return; satisfaction
value for money
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precise meaning or significance
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(plural) the moral principles and beliefs or accepted standards of a person or social group
a person with old-fashioned values
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maths
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a particular magnitude, number, or amount
the value of the variable was 7
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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
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music short for time value
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a gradation of tone from light to dark or of colour luminosity
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the relation of one of these elements to another or to the whole picture
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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
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to assess or estimate the worth, merit, or desirability of; appraise
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to have a high regard for, esp in respect of worth, usefulness, merit, etc; esteem or prize
to value freedom
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(foll by at) to fix the financial or material worth of (a unit of currency, work of art, etc)
jewels valued at £40 000
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Mathematics An assigned or calculated numerical quantity.
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The relative darkness or lightness of a color. Value measures where a color falls on an achromatic scale from white to black.
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Compare hue saturation
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
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nonvaluenoun
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prevaluenoun
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supervaluenoun
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misvalueverb (used with object)
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outvalueverb (used with object)
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self-valuingadjective
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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valuesimple
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valuessimple
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have valuedperfect
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has valuedperfect
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am valuingprogressive
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are valuingprogressive
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is valuingprogressive
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have been valuingperfect progressive
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has been valuingperfect progressive
Past
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valuedsimple
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had valuedperfect
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was valuingprogressive
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were valuingprogressive
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had been valuingperfect progressive
Future
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."
Vocabulary lists containing value
The SAT: Multiple-Meaning Words, List 3
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The SAT: Language of the Test, List 4
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Pi Day Vocabulary
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
"Multilateralism needs to prove its value when things are difficult... We have always been able to move forward, despite the difficulties," she said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
It is impossible, in the 21st century, to identify a single overriding interest or value that ought alone to govern social life, whether freedom, virtue, equality or efficiency.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
For publicly traded companies like these, declining engagement results in lost value.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2026
Higher rates reduce the present value of future cash flows.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 11, 2026
The painting was worth more than twenty million dollars, but its value to Le Fantôme was sentimental, not financial.
From "City Spies" by James Ponti
What’s needed is a balance between rival values and principles that is flexible, moderate and resistant to doctrinal purity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026
She pointed to a desire to boost domestic production in agriculture and other sectors, alongside a wish to propagate "family values" and liberties.
From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026
She said she’s waiting for menus with caloric values, as well as reports from the visiting dietitian to determine whether detainees are receiving nutritious meals.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 8, 2026
The analysis assumes that current property-tax rates continue, and uses current home values.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
The Lucasian chair had been established in 1663, but monetary values had changed little in the intervening period.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
“Lots of things have been announced and then canceled,” said Frosst, whose startup builds large language models and was valued at $6.8 billion last year.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 10, 2026
With the latest sale from Walter to Kushner and Iger valued at $12.5 billion, a 17.82% share would be worth approximately $2.2 billion for the Buss siblings.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
This is due to take effect from 2028 and introduces an extra levy for owners of properties in England valued at more than £2m.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
Anthropic is reportedly preparing an initial public share offering in the coming weeks that could see it valued at $2 trillion.
From Barron's ● Oct. 6, 2026
Slow as their material and technological advance had been, little as they valued “progress” in itself, they had finally, in the last five or ten or fifteen centuries, got a little ahead of Nature.
From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin
He was mentored by Robert C. Merton, who later would win the Nobel Prize with Myron Scholes for work on valuing derivatives.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
When hiring, Kindersley says she looks for people with "equal EQ as IQ", valuing emotional intelligence alongside ability.
From BBC ● Sep. 9, 2026
Stripe and Advent International reportedly made a bid to take over the payments company for $60.50 per share, valuing the company at roughly $53 billion.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 4, 2026
On July 20, Tempus agreed to acquire Personalis for $16.25 a share, valuing the deal at $1.5 billion net of Tempus’s existing stake.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026
No matter where they were, Indigenous peoples’ governance was based on valuing what was best for the community over the needs or preferences of individuals.
From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
