1
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
These products allow investors to gain exposure to Bitcoin without owning the actual coins.—
Lisa Loud
Lisa Loud3
: something used as if it were money (as in verbal or intellectual exchange)
… perhaps wisecracks … are respectable literary coin in the United States …—The Times Literary Supplement (London)
The Times Literary Supplement (London)would repay him with the full coin of his mind—Ian Fleming
Ian Fleming4
: 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 coin—Sinclair Lewis
Sinclair Lewis
coined; coining; coins
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
Sean Gentille, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Fans leave baseballs or bats on the grave of Joe DiMaggio, or coins and other memorabilia on the black granite headstone where Wyatt Earp and his wife are buried.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
Carolyn Burt, Oc Register, 27 Oct. 2025
The Monster of Florence is a name coined by Mario Spezi, a former crime reporter for Italy's La Nazione, for a serial killer that terrorized the countryside outside Florence, Italy, between 1968 and 1985.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025
Kim Chatelain, NOLA.com, 21 June 2017
See All Example Sentences for coin
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show current usage.
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Noun
In 2016, MacLellan said, the series was a coin flip between the two best teams in the league.
—Sean Gentille, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2025
Fans leave baseballs or bats on the grave of Joe DiMaggio, or coins and other memorabilia on the black granite headstone where Wyatt Earp and his wife are buried.
—Chris Kenning, USA Today, 25 Oct. 2025
Verb
Knott decided to finally name the berry and coined the fruit boysenberry after its creator.
—Carolyn Burt, Oc Register, 27 Oct. 2025
The Monster of Florence is a name coined by Mario Spezi, a former crime reporter for Italy's La Nazione, for a serial killer that terrorized the countryside outside Florence, Italy, between 1968 and 1985.
—Randall Colburn, Entertainment Weekly, 22 Oct. 2025
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
See All Example Sentences for coin
Cite this Entry
“Coin.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coin. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
coin
1 of 3 noun1
: a piece of metal put out by a government authority as money
2
: metal money
three dollars in coin
coin
3 of 3 adjective1
: of or relating to coins
a coin show
2
: operated by coins
a laundromat's coin washers
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