face up
1 of 2adjective or adverb
variants
or less commonly faceup
or face-up
: with the face up
After all the cards have been dealt, nondealer takes the top card from his pile and places it on the table, face up.—Jack Botermans et al.
It didn't matter whether a phone was on or off, or whether it was face up or face down on a desk.—Ralph K. M. Haurwitz
… we set the table with the forks' tines aggressively face-up.—Molly O'Neill
For abdominal-flattening crunches, lie faceup on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor.—Michele Meyer
—usually hyphenated before a nounPlayers start with four face-up cards …—Laura McQuarrie
faced up; facing up; faces up
: to confront or deal directly with someone or something previously avoided
—usually used with to
faced up to my fears
Cite this Entry
“Face up.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/face%20up. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
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