cash in

verb

cashed in; cashing in; cashes in

transitive verb

: to obtain cash for

cashed in the bonds

intransitive verb

1

a

: to retire from a gambling game

b

: to settle accounts and withdraw from an involvement (such as a business deal)

2

: to obtain advantage or financial profit

—often used with on

cash in on a bestseller

Synonyms of cash in

• use
• abuse
• exploit
• walk on
• leverage
• play (on or upon)
• capitalize (on)
• manipulate
• trade on
• impose (on or upon)

Examples of cash in in a Sentence

some observers thought the lawyers were cashing in on the tragedy

Recent Examples on the Web

Now, some of those competitors are trying to cash in on Flock's fall from grace. — Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 22 Aug. 2026

Brands big and small are cashing in on TikTok Shop (even celebrities like Lili Reinhart are using the affiliate and link-to-shop offerings to boost their brands). — Alexandra York, Forbes.com, 21 Aug. 2026

His brother was stuffing bricks of cash in multiple places and would even wrap the money in plastic before hiding it in spaghetti sauce jars. — Charisma Madarang, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026

Something has to give As Big Oil cashes in on the supply disruptions, Main Street is increasingly frustrated by high prices. — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1888, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for cash in

• ashen
• fashion
• passion
• ration
• compassion
• internation

Kids Definition

cash in

verb

1

: to obtain cash for

cashed in her bonds

2

: to benefit financially

souvenir sellers cashed in at the fair

cashing in on their brother's fame