dollar

noun

dol·​lar ˈdä-lər 

often attributive

1

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

2

a

: thaler

b

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

3

: ringgit

4

: 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 of dollar

• 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

Proposition 1, the Veterans and Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2026, would provide billions of dollars for affordable housing development, expand homeownership programs and invest in solutions to address the state's chronic issue with homelessness. — Darrielle Fair, CBS News, 20 Aug. 2026

Budget estimates project billions of dollars in deficits over the next few years. — Torrey Snow, Baltimore Sun, 19 Aug. 2026

Since the pandemic, tourism has exploded in Medellín as the onetime global murder capital and home of Pablo Escobar’s billion-dollar cocaine empire became a desirable global getaway. — Mattha Busby, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2026

Her primary opponent, frontrunner Alex Vindman, ran a lackluster campaign and seemed to take victory for granted by sitting on millions of dollars of campaign money. — Sun Sentinel Editorial Board, Sun Sentinel, 19 Aug. 2026

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 2a

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
• choler
• collar
• crawler
• faller
• haller
• hauler
• holler
• scholar
• smaller
• squalor
• taller

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)"