dollar

noun

dol·​lar ˈdä-lər 

often attributive

1

: taler

2

: any of numerous coins patterned after the taler (such as a Spanish peso)

3

a

: any of various basic monetary units (as in the U.S. and Canada) see Money Table

b

: a coin, note, or token representing one dollar

4

: ringgit

5

: money obtained from a specific source

the tourism dollar

Did you know?

In the mountains of Bohemia is the small town of Jáchymov. In the early 16th century, the town was known by its German name, Sankt Joachimstal. At that time, a silver mine was opened nearby, and coins were minted to which the name joachimstaler was applied. In German this was shortened to Taler. Shortly afterward the Dutch or Low German form daler was borrowed into English to refer to the Taler and other coins that were patterned after it, such as the Spanish peso, which circulated widely in Britain’s North American colonies. Our modern word dollar is a different spelling of this daler. When the newly independent American colonies settled on an official monetary unit in 1785, they chose the name dollar.

Synonyms

• bone [slang]
• buck
• clam
• one
• smacker [slang]

Examples of dollar in a Sentence

She had to pay hundreds of dollars in auto repairs.

She put a wrinkled dollar down on the counter.

The dollar dropped sharply against the pound.

the strength of the dollar

The dollar is worth more in Mexico.

Recent Examples on the Web

Essentially, stablecoins integrate the U.S. dollar within the blockchain — merging the reliability and stability of fiat with the rapidity, transparency, and programmability associated with crypto. —Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 23 June 2025

The Department of Defense, which has consistently failed to account for its hundreds of trillions of dollars in assets, is listed as a priority at the top of the memo. —Robert Schmad, The Washington Examiner, 23 June 2025

The difference between in-state and out-of-state tuition for people like Enríquez can be thousands of dollars at a community college and tens of thousands at CSU and UC campuses. —Jaweed Kaleem, Los Angeles Times, 23 June 2025

The feds allege that the tens of millions of dollars Combs made building the Bad Boy Records empire funded a criminal enterprise designed to cater to his every desire. —Molly Crane-Newman, New York Daily News, 23 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

Dutch or Low German daler, from German Taler, short for Joachimstaler, from Sankt Joachimsthal, Bohemia, where talers were first made

First Known Use

1553, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing dollar

• bang for one's dollar
• bang for the dollar
• dollar-a-year
• dollar cost averaging
• dollar day
• dollar diplomacy
• dollar sign
• dollar signs in one's eyes
• dollar store
• East Caribbean dollar
• half-dollar
• Maria Theresa dollar
• non-dollar
• sand dollar
• see dollar signs
• silver dollar
• silver dollar plant
• Straits dollar
• the dollar
• top dollar
• trade dollar

Rhymes for dollar

• caller
• collar
• crawler
• faller
• haller
• hauler
• holler
• scholar
• smaller
• squalor
• taller
• trawler

Kids Definition

dollar

noun

dol·​lar ˈdäl-ər 

1

: a coin (as a Spanish peso) similar to an earlier German silver coin

2

a

: a basic unit of money (as of the U.S. and Canada)

b

: a coin or bill representing one dollar

Etymology

from Dutch daler "silver coin formerly used in Germany," from German Taler (same meaning), shortened from Joachimstaler "a coin made in Sankt Joachimsthal (Saint Joachim's Valley) in Bohemia (a former kingdom in Europe)"