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
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
While the penny remains legal tender, banks and merchants are already reporting shortages.
—Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 16 Nov. 2025
Will pennies still be legal tender?
—George Petras, USA Today, 12 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for legal tender
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
While the penny remains legal tender, banks and merchants are already reporting shortages.
—Chris Isidore, CNN Money, 16 Nov. 2025
Will pennies still be legal tender?
—George Petras, USA Today, 12 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for legal tender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legal tender
Noun
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Janet’s mother, Marilyn, was deeply insecure about having never finished college herself, and—newly flush with cash—offered to pay for four years of her children’s higher education (which cost, on average, $740 in the late 1970s).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
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And just in case, she was laid to rest with some local currency, or spending cash, almost 1,000 Kaiyuan Tongbao coins tied to her waist and right leg, as per Arkeonews reported.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Nine of the top ten sets by brick count have been released in the last five years, and two of those are still to arrive, namely the LEGO Pokémon Venusaur, Charizard, and Blastoise, and a yet-to-be announced Lord of the Rings build (my money’s on Minas Tirith).—
Matt Gardner,
Forbes.com,
27 Jan. 2026
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Instead, the money inmates pay to buy snacks and other items in the commissary covers the cost, something called the inmate welfare account.—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
27 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The hoard consisted of 450 silver coins, bars of silver, a gold ring and a gold coin.—
Andrea Margolis,
FOXNews.com,
23 Jan. 2026
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Holding both silver bars and coins can balance cost efficiency with liquidity, giving you options to choose from depending on market conditions.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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The yen touched its strongest level since October in US trading Tuesday after comments from Japanese officials, including just recently the finance minister, fueled speculation that the government may intervene in the market to prevent the currency from resuming its decline.—
Mia Glass,
Bloomberg,
28 Jan. 2026
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Reagan proceeded to give the country back to the people through tax cuts, deregulation and restoration of the integrity of our currency.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
28 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Tickets often cost less than a hundred bucks.—
Skye Sherman,
Travel + Leisure,
13 Jan. 2026
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Three million bucks from the Silicon Valley luminary (who’s actually registered to vote in Florida).—
Andrew Nusca,
Fortune,
13 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Legal tender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legal%20tender. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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