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 of cash

Noun (1)

• money
• coin
• currency

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

Henderson also has surged ahead in the money race, with $598,000 in cash on-hand last month, according to state records. — Kate Armanini, Chicago Tribune, 14 Aug. 2026

Connecticut Coalition for Pretrial Justice formed to press for reform of the cash bail system in Connecticut, something the group said keeps people behind bars not based on safety concerns but on their ability to pay. — Kaitlin McCallum, Hartford Courant, 14 Aug. 2026

Adjective

Part of the loss was a one-off, a $328 million non-cash accounting charge tied to the fair-value treatment of convertible preferred shares, a technical adjustment that converts investor stock into ordinary shares once a company lists. — Mark Faithfull, Forbes.com, 28 July 2026

Note that the Packers’ operating loss does include tens of millions of dollars in non-cash charges tied to depreciation. — Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico.com, 24 July 2026

Verb

Being over $1 million, the Jackpot Triple Play winner, according to the Florida Lottery website, must be cashed at the main office in Tallahassee. — David J. Neal, Miami Herald, 12 Aug. 2026

Today’s luxury traveller is often cash rich but decidedly time poor, and doesn’t necessarily want to dedicate half a day to visiting a shopping mall. — Kate Hardcastle, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026

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)

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1913, 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