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

These images are usually paired with a Caucasian voice-over asking me to give money to save poor people around the world. — Eva Lewis, Teen Vogue, "I Traveled to Paris to Advocate for Human Rights in Chicago's South Side," 27 Nov. 2018 Give money to the California Fire Foundation, which will put your donation towards $100 gift cards that firefighters give directly to victims on the ground through their Supplying Aid to Victims of Emergency (SAVE) program. — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "The Dangerous Health Risks That Could Follow the California Wildfires," 16 Nov. 2018 Wages are rising, too, with employers seemingly having to respond to scarce labor by giving workers more money. — Pan Pylas, The Seattle Times, "EU workers leave UK in record numbers as Brexit looms," 13 Nov. 2018 Still, Culberson keeps giving the space agency money for it, forcing NASA to work on the lander. — Loren Grush, The Verge, "NASA’s Europa lander may be in jeopardy after the midterms — and some are fine with seeing it go," 10 Nov. 2018 Up until now, all the Houses explore an individual's immediate world: Their money, home, and friends. — Aliza Kelly Faragher, Allure, "The 12 Astrological Houses: Interpreting Your Birth Chart Beyond the Zodiac," 6 Oct. 2018 Meanwhile in Indiana, Braun, a former state legislator who poured his own money into the race, defeated Reps. — Alex Pappas, Fox News, "Morrisey pulls off upset in W.Va. Senate primary, as Indiana’s Braun and Ohio’s Renacci win nominations," 2 Oct. 2018 No one rocks a pony like Ari, but these two are giving her a run for her money. — Carolyn Twersky, Seventeen, "Ariana Grande Made the Funniest Joke on a Picture of Kim Kardashian and North West," 1 Oct. 2018 My dad was a refugee, my mum was on a farm, went to New York and worked to send money back to her family. — Tess Garcia, Teen Vogue, "Gigi Hadid Responds to People Who Question Her Rise to Fame," 18 Nov. 2018

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