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

Winners of the Lucky for Life top prize of $1,000 a day for life and second prize of $25,000 a year for life can decide to collect the prize for a minimum of 20 years or take a lump sum cash payment. —Staff Reports, The Providence Journal, 7 Feb. 2026

The cash option is a one-time, lump-sum payment that is equal to all the cash in the Mega Millions jackpot prize pool. —Tanya Wildt, Freep.com, 7 Feb. 2026

Adjective

Julie Sunwoo, president of DAFgiving360, told CNBC that a record 74% of contributions last year were made in the form of non-cash assets, including ETFs, index funds, real estate and cryptocurrency. —Hayley Cuccinello, CNBC, 30 Jan. 2026

People’s support of cash usage and acceptance spans the political and income spectrum, said Thinnes, with some wanting the choice to protect their privacy and others noting the 25 million American households who are unbanked or underbanked and don’t have access to non-cash methods of payments. —Betty Lin-Fisher, USA Today, 23 Dec. 2025

Verb

This office can cash prizes of any amount. —Lorenzino Estrada, AZCentral.com, 5 Feb. 2026

Documentation from Western Union showed the money orders had been cashed by Jayven Christian Jolly, the report said. —Sofia Saric, Miami Herald, 5 Feb. 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