wallet

noun

wal·​let ˈwä-lət How to pronounce wallet (audio)
1
: a bag for carrying miscellaneous articles while traveling
2
a
: a folding pocketbook with compartments for personal papers and usually unfolded paper money
also : billfold
b
: a container that resembles a money wallet: such as
(1)
: a usually flexible folding case fitted for carrying specific items (such as tools or fishing flies)
3
: resources, funds
a shopping mall that seems to swallow your walletKaren Wright

Examples of wallet in a Sentence

She paid the bill and tucked her wallet back into her pocket. He pulled a few bills out of his wallet.
Recent Examples on the Web Recent cuts to the food-stamp program, called the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, have also drained dollars from their customers' wallets, putting them under even more pressure to find bargains. Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 15 Mar. 2024 Gas and food prices are some of the most visible to consumers, whose wallets are greatly impacted by the trajectory of those prices. Alicia Wallace, CNN, 14 Mar. 2024 Testers were wowed by the taste and froth of Rise’s shelf-stable oat milk, which saved them (and their wallets) a few trips to the coffee shop. Grace McCarty, SELF, 13 Mar. 2024 Tapping the Add to Apple Wallet button loaded them inside my Apple wallet app. Yiwen Lu, New York Times, 6 Mar. 2024 That’s great news for your epidermis — slightly less so for your wallet. Hannah Baxter, Allure, 5 Mar. 2024 Li’s wallet was not found in his room after campus police gained entry, however, Zhou told CBS affiliate KTVT that her son’s cell phone, backpack and laptop were still in his room. Abigail Adams, Peoplemag, 4 Mar. 2024 Indeed, demand was strong in 2023 as Americans opened their wallets for both goods and services — a remarkable display of resilience in the face of the highest interest rates in two decades and recession fears that materialized after some banking stresses in the spring. Bryan Mena, CNN, 3 Mar. 2024 Some Coinbase customers are opening their digital wallets to find zero dollar balances in their accounts, an issue the cryptocurrency exchange platform acknowledged on Wednesday. Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 28 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wallet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Middle English walet

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of wallet was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near wallet

Cite this Entry

“Wallet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wallet. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

wallet

noun
wal·​let ˈwäl-ət How to pronounce wallet (audio)
1
: a bag or sack for carrying things on a journey
2
: a small flat folding pocketbook with compartments (as for coins, paper money, and cards)
also : billfold

More from Merriam-Webster on wallet

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