coin

1 of 3

noun

1
archaic
b
: wedge
2
a
: a usually flat piece of metal issued by governmental authority as money
b
: metal money
c
: something resembling a coin especially in shape
d
: a unit of a cryptocurrency
I also caution market participants against promoting or touting the offer and sale of coins without first determining whether the securities laws apply to those actions.Jay Clayton
3
: something used as if it were money (as in verbal or intellectual exchange)
perhaps wisecracks … are respectable literary coin in the U.S.The Times Literary Supplement (London)
would repay him with the full coin of his mindIan Fleming
4
: something having two different and usually opposing sides
usually used in the phrase the other side of the coin
5
informal : money
I'm in it for the coinSinclair Lewis

coin

2 of 3

verb

coined; coining; coins

transitive verb

1
a
: to make (a coin) especially by stamping : mint
b
: to convert (metal) into coins
2
: create, invent
coin a phrase
coiner noun

coin

3 of 3

adjective

1
: of or relating to coins
2
: operated by coins
Phrases
coin money
: to get rich quickly

Examples of coin in a Sentence

Noun I have a dollar in coins. seeking a job that pays plenty of coin Verb The coach coined the phrase “refuse to lose.” William Shakespeare is believed to have coined many words. The nation plans to coin more money.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Those are basically a coin flip — and the outcomes are off in the distance, as those cases wind their way through the legal system. Gaby Del Valle, The Verge, 21 Mar. 2024 Those odds are in play if every game was a coin flip – or a fair 50/50 shot. Christopher Brito, CBS News, 21 Mar. 2024 The nugget is around the size of a UK 50 pence coin. Emily Blumenthal, CNN, 21 Mar. 2024 The implant is around the size of a coin and has 64 ultra-thin connected threads upon which 1,024 electrodes record neural activity. Shelby Slade, The Arizona Republic, 21 Mar. 2024 That's 70 million times better than coin flipping, but likely outcomes probably won't not be enough to win among your friends and co-workers. USA TODAY, 18 Mar. 2024 Archeologists believe that the coins were from the Middle Ages, according to a press release that was translated to English. Andrea Vacchiano, Fox News, 14 Mar. 2024 The bottom line is investing is always a coin toss. Thomas Germain / Gizmodo, Quartz, 6 Mar. 2024 Cavallari said gold coins have especially brought her brother to mind. Julia Moore, Peoplemag, 6 Mar. 2024
Verb
Non-Sleep Deep Rest was reportedly coined by Dr Andrew D. Huberman, a neuroscientist and professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, in 2022. Fiona Embleton, Glamour, 18 Mar. 2024 Experts have been forced to coin a new term for fires exceeding 1 million acres: gigafire. ProPublica, 16 Mar. 2024 The crime of genocide is not new and has never gone away, although it was not coined as a term until ​​Polish lawyer Raphäel Lemkin did so in 1944 combining the Greek prefix genos, meaning race or tribe, with the Latin suffix cide, meaning killing. Hazlitt, 6 Mar. 2024 The film’s title references a trope in films and television, coined by Spike Lee, in which Black secondary characters exist solely to help white primary characters. Lisa Respers France, CNN, 12 Mar. 2024 Concerts sold out quickly in most markets, with some shows moved to larger venues, drawing fans who did their best to replicate Madonna’s look, inspiring the media to coin the phrase Madonna wannabes. Ed Masley, The Arizona Republic, 9 Mar. 2024 The property’s design invokes the concept of Pueblos Mágicos, a term coined by the Mexican government recognizing villages for their extraordinary beauty and rich history. Dobrina Zhekova, Travel + Leisure, 5 Mar. 2024 Media coined breakdancing to explain the form more broadly. Sean Gregory, TIME, 5 Mar. 2024 Newark, outside New York, and Camden, outside Philadelphia, are clear winners in this new regime, each serving, to coin a phrase, as a sort of subcity to the stagnant dominant metro. Alena Botros, Fortune, 2 Mar. 2024
Adjective
The victim told him where to find a bedroom safe and coin jar, which together contained $230. Kim Chatelain, NOLA.com, 21 June 2017

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'coin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French coing wedge, corner, from Latin cuneus wedge

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

circa 1566, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of coin was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near coin

Cite this Entry

“Coin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coin. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

coin

1 of 3 noun
1
: a piece of metal put out by a government authority as money
2
: metal money
three dollars in coin

coin

2 of 3 verb
1
a
: to make (a coin) especially by stamping : mint
b
: to convert (metal) into coins
2
: create, invent
coin a phrase
coiner noun

coin

3 of 3 adjective
1
: of or relating to coins
a coin show
2
: operated by coins
a laundromat's coin washers

More from Merriam-Webster on coin

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