lucre

noun

lu·​cre ˈlü-kər 

: monetary gain : profit

wrote almost entirely for lucre

also : money

Synonyms of lucre

• money
• cash
• coin
• currency
• bucks

Examples of lucre in a Sentence

foreign coins are not acceptable lucre in most vending machines in this country

Recent Examples on the Web

They were replaced by Middlesbrough, who will play Hull City on Saturday for the right to be promoted to the Premier League and the vast lucre that comes with it. —Dan Shanoff, New York Times, 20 May 2026

Stanley dealers were not in cutthroat competition for filthy lucre. —Literary Hub, 28 Apr. 2026

For now, though, Detroit’s automakers are leaning into the lucre that comes from selling millions of fossil-fuel vehicles in a rare moment of loosened regulation. —Bloomberg, Oc Register, 24 Feb. 2026

Rosamund Pike, playing the spirit of loving filthy lucre over life itself, elevates a standard villain through the high timing of her theatrical hauteur. —Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 11 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin lucrum "material gain, profit," going back to Indo-European *lh₂u-tló- "seizure, gain," from *leh₂u- "seize, capture" + *-tlo-, noun suffix, typically of instruments; *leh₂u- also in Greek apolaúein "to benefit (from), have pleasure or enjoyment," leíā, Doric lāíā "plunder, spoil," Germanic *launa- "recompense, reward" (see guerdon)

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for lucre

• involucre
• mucor

Kids Definition

lucre

noun

lu·​cre ˈlü-kər 

: gain in money : profit

also : money sense 1a