take (someone or something) at face value
(redirected from taken something at face value)take (someone or something) at face value
To accept or trust someone or something based only on an initial or superficial presentation, without taking further proof, verification, or investigation into account. I've learned never to take corporate PR statements at face value. It's hard to take Jeff at face value when he's been caught lying in the past.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2015 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
take someone or something at face value
to accept someone or something just as it appears; to believe that the way things appear is the way they really are. He means what he says. You have to take him at face value. I take everything he says at face value.
take something at face value
to accept something exactly the way it appears to be. I don't know whether I can take her story at face value, but I will assume that she is not lying. The committee took the report at face value and approved the suggested changes.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
at face value, take
Accept from its outward appearance, as in You can't always take a manufacturer's advertisements at face value; they're bound to exaggerate . Literally this idiom has referred to the monetary value printed on a bank note, stock certificate, bond, or other financial instrument since the 1870s. The figurative usage is from the late 1800s.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
take somebody/something at face ˈvalue
accept that somebody/something is exactly as they/it first appears: You can’t take everything she says at face value. ♢ A diplomat learns not to take everything at face value.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017