cash

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈkash 

1

: ready money

2

: money or its equivalent (such as a check) paid for goods or services at the time of purchase or delivery

cash

2 of 4

adjective

: being a method of accounting that includes as income only what has been received and as expenses only those paid compare accrual

cash

3 of 4

verb

cashed; cashing; cashes

transitive verb

1

: to pay or obtain cash for

cash a check

2

: to lead and win a bridge trick with (a card that is the highest remaining card of its suit)

cashable

ˈka-shə-bəl 

adjective

cash

4 of 4

noun (2)

plural cash

1

: any of various coins of small value in China and southern India

especially : a Chinese coin with a square hole in the center

2

: a unit of value equivalent to one cash

Illustration of cash

• ⁴cash 1

Synonyms of cash

Noun (1)

• money
• coin
• currency

Examples of cash in a Sentence

Noun (1)

went to the ATM to get more cash

Verb

The store wouldn't cash the check.

He cashed his paycheck at the bank.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Krispy Kreme received approximately $90 million, including $50 million in cash at closing. —Charlotte Observer, 26 Mar. 2026

Anavitarte says the city dipped into cash reserves to launch its in-house sanitation service. —Monique John, CBS News, 25 Mar. 2026

Adjective

One source with knowledge of the club’s dealings, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, offered that Chelsea’s huge loss last season was, like Barcelona’s before them, driven by significant non-cash, accounting entries. —Chris Weatherspoon, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2026

During the latest quarter, Imax recorded a one-time charge of $15 million to repurchase convertible notes due 2026, and a non-cash goodwill impairment charge of $7 million for SSIMWAVE, a streaming tech company acquired in 2022. —Etan Vlessing, HollywoodReporter, 25 Feb. 2026

Verb

This office can cash prizes up to $49,999. —Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 19 Mar. 2026

Younger is among 69 households enrolled in an experimental program sending Lahaina fire survivors cash for one year, an effort to stabilize some of the most at-risk during the island’s protracted recovery. —ABC News, 18 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

modification of Middle French or Old Italian; Middle French casse money box, from Old Italian cassa, from Latin capsa chest — more at case

Noun (2)

Portuguese caixa, from Tamil kācu, a small copper coin, from Sanskrit karṣa, a weight of gold or silver

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1913, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1811, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1598, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing cash

• actual cash value
• cash-and-carry
• cash bar
• cash card
• cash cow
• cash crop
• cash desk
• cash discount
• cash dispenser
• cash flow
• cash grab
• cash in
• cash in on
• cash machine
• cash out
• cash register
• cash-strapped
• cold cash
• hard cash
• petty cash

Rhymes for cash

• ash
• bash
• brash
• cache
• clash
• crash
• dash
• flash
• gash
• hash
• lash
• mash

Kids Definition

cash

1 of 2 noun

ˈkash 

1

: money in the form of coins or bills

2

: money or its equivalent (as a check) paid for goods at the time of purchase or delivery

cash

2 of 2 verb

: to pay or obtain cash for

cash a check

Etymology

Noun

from early French casse or early Italian cassa, both meaning "money box," from Latin capsa "chest, box" — related to case entry 2

Legal Definition

cash

noun

1

: ready money

2

: money or its equivalent (as a check) paid for goods or services at the time of purchase or delivery