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

One video advertises access to a longer clip of a boy toddler being abused for less than three dollars. —Hanako Montgomery, CNN Money, 22 June 2026

The initial cost to install it at Beck Recreation Center in 2014 was nearly $35,000 dollars. —Michael Abeyta, CBS News, 22 June 2026

But not everyone agreed that the city needed to sacrifice millions of dollars in tax revenue to hook a developer. —Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 21 June 2026

But for some lawmakers, the advances and taxes owed to the state by safety net hospitals cast a shadow over any discussion about giving safety net hospitals grant dollars. —Lisa Schencker, Chicago Tribune, 21 June 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)"