as in cash
something (as pieces of stamped metal or printed paper) customarily and legally used as a medium of exchange, a measure of value, or a means of payment
coins and bills are considered legal tender, but postage stamps are not
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of legal tender
Americans can continue to spend pennies at retailers, which will still accept them as legal tender.
—
Alexandra Hardle, AZCentral.com, 3 Dec. 2025
In early 2022, Nayib Bukele—the president of El Salvador who made Bitcoin legal tender in his country—photoshopped himself wearing a McDonald’s uniform after the cryptocurrency dropped.
—Carlos Garcia, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2025
Impact on Customers Though the penny will remain legal tender, everyday cash transactions may increasingly resemble McDonald’s policy, with retailers rounding to the nearest nickel when pennies are unavailable.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
While pennies will remain legal tender, old ones will gradually be taken out of circulation.
—Nancy Forster-Holt, The Conversation, 20 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for legal tender
Alexandra Hardle, AZCentral.com, 3 Dec. 2025
In early 2022, Nayib Bukele—the president of El Salvador who made Bitcoin legal tender in his country—photoshopped himself wearing a McDonald’s uniform after the cryptocurrency dropped.
—Carlos Garcia, Fortune, 29 Nov. 2025
Impact on Customers Though the penny will remain legal tender, everyday cash transactions may increasingly resemble McDonald’s policy, with retailers rounding to the nearest nickel when pennies are unavailable.
—Alice Gibbs, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Nov. 2025
While pennies will remain legal tender, old ones will gradually be taken out of circulation.
—Nancy Forster-Holt, The Conversation, 20 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for legal tender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legal tender
Noun
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The victim, Adbadalla Thabet, collected cash from gas stations in Downey, Bellflower, Compton and Lynwood early in the morning before driving to the bank.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
19 Apr. 2026
-
The short-term spending cuts proposed to date are simply not enough to balance the budget anymore — not even with a one-time cash infusion from Albany.—
Ike Brannon,
New York Daily News,
19 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Packing this $12 gadget could also save you money on budget airlines that charge an arm and a leg for access to in-flight entertainment.—
Olivia Young,
Travel + Leisure,
21 Apr. 2026
-
Evans wound up taking less money to leave Tampa Bay and sign with the 49ers.—
Vic Tafur,
New York Times,
21 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The unlawful taking of items from a machine or device that is operated or activated by the use of coins.—
Baltimore Sun staff,
Baltimore Sun,
17 Apr. 2026
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Now, bagel shops around the country are getting serious coin from investment funds.—
Sam Stone,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
17 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Trump says administration is weighing a currency swap with UAE to help bolster finances of Mideast ally rattled by war.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
21 Apr. 2026
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If someone asks for payment through Bitcoin, Ethereum or another digital currency, assume the request is suspicious until proven otherwise.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
20 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
At the time of writing, its product page has two 4K sticks from Amazon itself available discounted down to prices below this one, and the powerful 4K Max is just five bucks more.—
Abhimanyu Ghoshal,
New Atlas,
16 Apr. 2026
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Turkeys will travel through pinch points in the terrain just like rutting bucks will.—
Alex Robinson,
Outdoor Life,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Legal tender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legal%20tender. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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