dollar

noun

dol·​lar ˈdä-lər 

often attributive

1

: taler

2

: any of numerous coins patterned after the taler (such as a Spanish peso)

3

a

: any of various basic monetary units (as in the U.S. and Canada) see Money Table

b

: a coin, note, or token representing one dollar

4

: ringgit

5

: money obtained from a specific source

the tourism dollar

Did you know?

In the mountains of Bohemia is the small town of Jáchymov. In the early 16th century, the town was known by its German name, Sankt Joachimstal. At that time, a silver mine was opened nearby, and coins were minted to which the name joachimstaler was applied. In German this was shortened to Taler. Shortly afterward the Dutch or Low German form daler was borrowed into English to refer to the Taler and other coins that were patterned after it, such as the Spanish peso, which circulated widely in Britain’s North American colonies. Our modern word dollar is a different spelling of this daler. When the newly independent American colonies settled on an official monetary unit in 1785, they chose the name dollar.

Synonyms

• buck
• one

Examples of dollar in a Sentence

She had to pay hundreds of dollars in auto repairs.

She put a wrinkled dollar down on the counter.

The dollar dropped sharply against the pound.

the strength of the dollar

The dollar is worth more in Mexico.

Recent Examples on the Web

States Say Huge Cuts Arbitrary In the new case, the suing states—led by Illinois and joined by California, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and others—say DHS responded to Smith’s ruling by abruptly reallocating hundreds of millions of dollars away from them. —Robert Alexander, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025

Even brief closures have cost the economy billions of dollars. —Nik Popli, Time, 1 Oct. 2025

Ford has spent billions of dollars on warranty and recall problems in recent years, setting industry-wide records for the number of recalls in 2025. —Michael Wayland, CNBC, 1 Oct. 2025

Hong Kong’s financial secretary Paul Chan said Sunday that initial public offerings had raised nearly 150 billion Hong Kong dollars so far this year, ranking top globally. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 30 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Dutch or Low German daler, from German Taler, short for Joachimstaler, from Sankt Joachimsthal, Bohemia, where talers were first made

First Known Use

1553, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing dollar

• bang for one's dollar
• bang for the dollar
• dollar-a-year
• dollar cost averaging
• dollar day
• dollar diplomacy
• dollar sign
• dollar signs in one's eyes
• dollar store
• East Caribbean dollar
• half-dollar
• Maria Theresa dollar
• non-dollar
• sand dollar
• see dollar signs
• silver dollar
• silver dollar plant
• Straits dollar
• the dollar
• top dollar
• trade dollar

Rhymes for dollar

• caller
• collar
• crawler
• faller
• haller
• hauler
• holler
• scholar
• smaller
• squalor
• taller
• trawler

Kids Definition

dollar

noun

dol·​lar ˈdäl-ər 

1

: a coin (as a Spanish peso) similar to an earlier German silver coin

2

a

: a basic unit of money (as of the U.S. and Canada)

b

: a coin or bill representing one dollar

Etymology

from Dutch daler "silver coin formerly used in Germany," from German Taler (same meaning), shortened from Joachimstaler "a coin made in Sankt Joachimsthal (Saint Joachim's Valley) in Bohemia (a former kingdom in Europe)"