cash

1 of 4

noun (1)

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 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

Illustration of cash
  • 4cash 1

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
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.
Noun
The platform was free to use but offered premium services including access to financial advisors and cash advances of up to $5,000 while students awaited aid approval. Dave Smith, Fortune, 1 Oct. 2025 Set to shoot in 2026 across Spain’s Valencia and Portugal’s Cascais and Lisbon, the project has secured support from Portuguese pubcaster RTP, Pic Portugal cash rebates and Spain’s Instituto Valenciano de Cultura. Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 1 Oct. 2025
Adjective
File Form 8283 for all non-cash contributions exceeding $500. Matthew F. Erskine, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025 Census also tracks what’s known as the supplemental poverty measure, which includes non-cash benefits such as food aid. Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
The Cuban government doesn’t cash the check. Miriam Pensack, The Dial, 30 Sep. 2025 This office can cash prizes up to $199,999. Nicole Young, Nashville Tennessean, 29 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for cash

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of cash was in 1593

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cash.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cash. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

cash

1 of 2 noun
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

More from Merriam-Webster on cash

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!