money

noun, often attributive

mon·ey | \ ˈmə-nē

plural moneys or monies\ ˈmə-nēz

Definition of money

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : something generally accepted as a medium of exchange, a measure of value, or a means of payment: such as

a : officially coined or stamped metal currency newly minted money

b : money of account

c : paper money handed the bank teller a wad of money

2a : wealth reckoned in terms of money made her money in the insurance business

b : an amount of money raised the money for a new library

c moneys or monies plural : sums of money : funds the collection of tax monies

3 : a form or denomination of coin or paper money wanted his money in $10 bills

4a : the first, second, and third place winners (as in a horse or dog race) —usually used in the phrases in the money or out of the money

b : prize money his horse took third money

5a : persons or interests possessing or controlling great wealth politicians at the beck and call of money

b : a position of wealth born into money

for one's money

: according to one's preference or opinion For my money, this is her best novel yet.

on the money

: exactly right or accurate His prediction that it would rain was right on the money.

money

adjective

Definition of money (Entry 2 of 2)

: involving or reliable in a crucial situation a money player a money pitch

Synonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about money

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Synonyms for money

Synonyms: Noun

bread [slang], bucks, cabbage [slang], cash, change, chips, coin, currency, dough, gold, green, jack [slang], kale [slang], legal tender, lolly [British], long green [slang], loot, lucre, moola (or moolah) [slang], needful, pelf, scratch [slang], shekels (also sheqels), tender, wampum

Examples of money in a Sentence

Noun

That painting must be worth a lot of money. He earned some money last summer as a musician. We're trying to save enough money for a new car. The town is raising money for the elementary school. Friends would always ask her for money. It's an interesting idea, but there's no money in it: it'll never sell. He made his money in the insurance business. They decided to put all their money in the stock market. We didn't have much money when I was growing up. Most of the project is being paid for by federal monies.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

The money-laundering investigation has gone quiet in the intervening months, which is just one reason that business leaders and Transparency International have been puzzling over it. — David Segal, New York Times, "High in His ‘Glassle,’ Georgia’s Richest Man Looms Over Country’s Top Project," 2 July 2019 The plan changed when the Padres signed him away from Kentucky for fifth-round money ($302,500). — Jeff Sanders, San Diego Union-Tribune, "Minors: Joey Cantillo on a roll with TinCaps," 2 July 2019 Hogan administration officials say the governor is concerned about spending the money, considering the economic outlook. — Luke Broadwater, baltimoresun.com, "As fiscal year starts, Maryland Gov. Hogan has not released funds for BSO, rape kit testing, youth jobs program," 2 July 2019 Lakeville police found Filho later that day in a car with a bag of money, a knife, and a mask. — Alyssa Lukpat, BostonGlobe.com, "Brockton man sentenced to 6 to 8 years for three 2015 robberies," 1 July 2019 Flush with an influx of new state money, the Dallas school board has approved a budget that includes a salary bump for teachers and a cut in its property tax rate. — Dallas News, "Dallas ISD approved teacher raises, lower tax rate, but what does that mean for teachers, taxpayers?," 1 July 2019 Van Horne was able to fight through season after season to extend his career to the NFL’s big-money era. — Will Larkin, chicagotribune.com, "Ranking the 100 best Bears players ever: No. 68, Keith Van Horne," 30 June 2019 Iran’s central bank banned cryptocurrencies last year, citing concerns over money laundering. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Iran seized nearly a thousand computers used to illegally mine Bitcoin," 30 June 2019 The cost ballooned to $41.8 million before the district finally fired the contractor — after paying an additional $5 million in go-away money, the grand jury said. — Phil Matier, SFChronicle.com, "$600 to wash a car that never got washed: Oakland schools’ ‘broken culture’," 30 June 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'money.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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More Definitions for money

money

noun

Financial Definition of money

What It Is

Money is a medium of exchange for goods or services within an economy.

How It Works

Philosophically, anything can be money, but coins and paper notes are the most generally accepted forms. In most cases, each country in the world has its own money, but in many cases several countries use the same money (such as the Euro). A country's government designs and manufactures that country's money.

Some money is fiat money, meaning that it has no intrinsic value. That is, the paper or metal used to create the money is not worth very much in terms of its value as a raw material. Most paper money is fiat money, and its value comes from what it represents rather than what it is. Before 1971, the U.S. dollar was not fiat money -- it was backed by a corresponding amount of gold held with the Federal Reserve.

The foreign exchange markets are places to trade money, and these markets affect exchange rates (that is, the amounts of one money needed to buy a certain amount of another money).

Why It Matters

Most money only has value because people want it. This idea is what made beaver pelts, shells, peppercorns, tulip bulbs, and other things into money at various points in history. However, when the demand (or fashion) faded for some of these goods (or more people found they really needed corn instead of beaver pelts), these systems became cumbersome. Paper money solves these problem because it is exchangeable for any good or service that people want (rather than just beaver pelts).

This isn't to say that paper and coins aren't the only forms of viable money today. Quite often, companies use shares of their own stock as money to acquire other companies, and anybody who has ever watched a crime show knows that cigarettes can buy a lot in prison.

Source: Investing Answers

money

noun