cash

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈkash 

1

: ready money

2

: money or its equivalent (such as a check) paid for goods or services at the time of purchase or delivery

cash

2 of 4

adjective

: being a method of accounting that includes as income only what has been received and as expenses only those paid compare accrual

cash

3 of 4

verb

cashed; cashing; cashes

transitive verb

1

: to pay or obtain cash for

cash a check

2

: to lead and win a bridge trick with (a card that is the highest remaining card of its suit)

cashable

ˈka-shə-bəl 

adjective

cash

4 of 4

noun (2)

plural cash

1

: any of various coins of small value in China and southern India

especially : a Chinese coin with a square hole in the center

2

: a unit of value equivalent to one cash

Illustration of cash

• ⁴cash 1

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• bread [slang]
• bucks
• cabbage [slang]
• change
• chips
• coin
• currency
• dough
• gold
• green
• jack [slang]
• kale [slang]
• legal tender
• lolly [British]
• long green [slang]
• loot
• lucre
• money
• moola [slang]
• moolah
• needful
• pelf
• scratch [slang]
• shekels
• sheqels
• shekelim
• shekalim
• sheqalim
• tender
• wampum

Examples of cash in a Sentence

Noun (1)

went to the ATM to get more cash

Verb

The store wouldn't cash the check.

He cashed his paycheck at the bank.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

If no one wins the jackpot, the cash prize will continue to tick up. —Julia Gomez, USA Today, 28 Apr. 2025

One afternoon, Coogler stopped by a Bank of America to make a sizable cash withdrawal from his account to cover some family expenses. —Jelani Cobb, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025

Adjective

However, later studies have found this effect between cards or mobile payment and cash becoming weaker with time, suggesting that this may be because consumers have become more used to non-cash payment methods. —Bill Hardekopf, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024

In 2025, account-to-account and real-time payments will displace cash in Europe and Latin America, especially in countries with younger populations who are open to non-cash payment methods. —Forrester, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024

Verb

These tickets must be cashed at one of the Florida Lottery district offices or the main office in Tallahassee, each of which is open 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. —David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 23 Apr. 2025

Members can get 10 percent off rates and earn Discovery Dollars that can be cashed for spa treatments, dining experiences, or applied to a hotel bill at check-out. —Lane Nieset, Travel + Leisure, 22 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

modification of Middle French or Old Italian; Middle French casse money box, from Old Italian cassa, from Latin capsa chest — more at case

Noun (2)

Portuguese caixa, from Tamil kācu, a small copper coin, from Sanskrit karṣa, a weight of gold or silver

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1593, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1622, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1811, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cash

• actual cash value
• cash-and-carry
• cash bar
• cash card
• cash cow
• cash crop
• cash desk
• cash discount
• cash dispenser
• cash flow
• cash grab
• cash in
• cash in on
• cash machine
• cash out
• cash register
• cash-strapped
• cold cash
• hard cash
• petty cash

Rhymes for cash

• ash
• bash
• brash
• cache
• clash
• crash
• dash
• flash
• gash
• hash
• lash
• mash

Kids Definition

cash

1 of 2 noun

ˈkash 

1

: money in the form of coins or bills

2

: money or its equivalent (as a check) paid for goods at the time of purchase or delivery

cash

2 of 2 verb

: to pay or obtain cash for

cash a check

Etymology

Noun

from early French casse or early Italian cassa, both meaning "money box," from Latin capsa "chest, box" — related to case entry 2

Legal Definition

cash

noun

1

: ready money

2

: money or its equivalent (as a check) paid for goods or services at the time of purchase or delivery