sterling

1 of 2

noun

ster·​ling ˈstər-liŋ 

1

: British money

2

: sterling silver or articles of it

sterling

2 of 2

adjective

1

a

: of, relating to, or calculated in terms of British sterling

b

: payable in sterling

2

a

of silver : having a fixed standard of purity usually defined legally as represented by an alloy of 925 parts of silver with 75 parts of copper

b

: made of sterling silver

3

: conforming to the highest standard

sterling character

a sterling record of achievement

sterlingly adverb

sterlingness noun

Synonyms of sterling

Adjective

• excellent
• superb
• stellar
• terrific
• wonderful
• lovely
• great
• beautiful
• fantastic
• prime
• fabulous
• awesome
• fine
• marvelous
• quality

Examples of sterling in a Sentence

Noun

a drop in the value of sterling

Adjective

a sterling example of democracy at work

credited the win to the pitcher's sterling performance on the mound

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Soros Fund Management built a short position of roughly $10 billion against sterling; Druckenmiller ran the trade and a young Scott Bessent was part of the team. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026

Their bet against sterling netted about a billion dollars in profit. — John Cassidy, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026

Adjective

According to Steven Levy in Wired, the company was funded largely based on the sterling reputation of its founders. — Ryan Whitwam, ArsTechnica, 5 Aug. 2026

By the time a sterling stablecoin issues under the Bank’s rules, users will have had three years of regulated alternatives and the corridors will have chosen their coins. — Zennon Kapron, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, silver penny, probably from Old English *steorling, from Old English steorra star + -ling entry 1 — more at star

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing sterling

• sterling area
• sterling bloc

Rhymes for sterling

• burling
• curling
• hurling
• pearling
• sperling
• swirling
• twirling
• whirling
• yearling
• unfurling

Kids Definition

sterling

1 of 2 noun

ster·​ling ˈstər-liŋ 

1

: British money

2

: sterling silver or articles of it

sterling

2 of 2 adjective

1

: of or relating to British sterling

2

: being or made of an alloy of 925 parts of silver with 75 parts of copper

sterling silver

3

: excellent

Etymology

Noun

so called from the phrase "a pound sterling," meaning the British pound as a monetary unit, but originally "a pound (by weight) of sterlings," from Middle English sterling "silver penny"