currency

noun

cur·​ren·​cy ˈkər-ən(t)-sē 

ˈkə-rən(t)-

plural currencies

1

a

: circulation as a medium of exchange

b

: general use, acceptance, or prevalence

a story gaining currency

c

: the quality or state of being current : currentness

needed to check the accuracy and currency of the information

2

a

: something (such as coins, treasury notes, and banknotes) that is in circulation as a medium of exchange

b

: paper money in circulation

c

: a common article for bartering

Furs were once used as currency.

d

: a medium of verbal or intellectual expression

… neither side possessed any currency but clichés …

—Jan Struther

Synonyms of currency

• cash
• money
• coin

Examples of currency in a Sentence

A new currency has been introduced in the foreign exchange market.

They were paid in U.S. currency.

Furs were once traded as currency.

The word has not yet won widespread currency.

I'm not sure about the accuracy and currency of their information.

Recent Examples on the Web

The first marches took place in downtown Tehran, with participants demonstrating against rising inflation and the falling value of the national currency, the rial. —ABC News, 15 Jan. 2026

Protests erupted late last year after Iran's national currency, the rial, plunged to record lows, worsening a cost-of-living crisis. —Anniek Bao, CNBC, 15 Jan. 2026

William James, the godfather of pragmatism, linked the value of faith to currency, spiritual virtue to utility. —Literary Hub, 15 Jan. 2026

When the Iranian currency, the rial, plunged yet again, bazaar merchants in Tehran—the traditional backbone of the Islamic Republic—walked out of their shops and into the streets. —Ali Vaez, Time, 15 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

curr(ent) entry 1 + -ency

First Known Use

1624, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing currency

• fractional currency
• hard currency

Rhymes for currency

• concurrency
• eurocurrency

Kids Definition

currency

noun

cur·​ren·​cy ˈkər-ən-sē 

ˈkə-rən-

plural currencies

1

: common use or acceptance

2

: money in circulation