cash crop

noun

: a readily salable crop (such as cotton or tobacco) produced or gathered primarily for market

Examples of cash crop in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Hemp has become an important cash crop in the five years since Texas set up its own program, and family farmers were a key constituency arguing against the ban and pressing Abbott for a veto. Saul Elbein, The Hill, 24 June 2025 Take, for instance, the country’s main cash crop, tobacco. Ish Mafundikwa, Christian Science Monitor, 30 May 2025 In colonial and post-colonial regimes, they were forced to plant cash crops and were heavily taxed. Nikil Saval, New Yorker, 7 Apr. 2025 It’s known as the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World, a reference to the area’s biggest cash crop. Dan Sullivan, Miami Herald, 17 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cash crop

Word History

First Known Use

1868, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cash crop was in 1868

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cash crop.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cash%20crop. Accessed 12 Jul. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on cash crop

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!