legal tender

noun

Definition of legal tendernext
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

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of legal tender House Banks and Banking Committee meets to consider Senate Bill 424, which would make gold and silver legal tender in Georgia. — Adam Beam, AJC.com, 26 Mar. 2026 The mislabeling of President Andrew Jackson’s portrait is just one of the telltale signs signifying that some bills getting passed around in Greater Boston are movie props and not legal tender. — Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026 As the world’s first country to adopt Bitcoin as legal tender, El Salvador has positioned itself as a hub for crypto-curious travelers, with digital wallets operating alongside its low-density tourism. — Angelika Pokovba, Travel + Leisure, 26 May 2026 In 1926, the nation’s 150th anniversary, then-President Calvin Coolidge appeared on a commemorative half-dollar coin that was official legal tender. — Bill Barrow, Fortune, 29 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for legal tender
Recent Examples of Synonyms for legal tender
  1. cash
  2. money
  3. coin
  4. currency
  5. bucks
Noun
  • If no one wins the jackpot, the cash prize will keep ticking up.
    — Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 7 July 2026
  • There’s enough cash on hand for Rhaenyra to administer the Seven Kingdoms for a fortnight, and no one remaining from the old regime — not Alicent, not Orwyle — knows where Lannister hid the rest of the ingots.
    — Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 6 July 2026
Definition of cash
Noun
  • Well, not bad in terms of trying to showcase how much money Europe is spending on its own defense, with a raft of billion-dollar deals announced with some of the world's largest military contractors.
    — Steve Sedgwick,Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 8 July 2026
  • What begins as a history play transforms into a sharp-eyed satire about the cost of assimilation in a society where money, power and white privilege remain stubbornly intertwined.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2026
Definition of money
Noun
  • That’s not to mention an upcoming summer of local and national festivities that promises fireworks, parades, bands, speeches, prizes, and commemorative everything, from postage stamps and coins to musical compositions.
    — Brenda Wineapple, The New York Review of Books, 4 July 2026
  • Now, the new Heritage Coin collection takes the original coin watch to all new heights – but exclusive ones.
    — Roberta Naas, Forbes.com, 4 July 2026
Definition of coin
Noun
  • In his apartment officers found black and gray clothing Fleming wore during the robberies as well as a black duffel bag, a gun belt with a holster, a large sum of cash still wrapped in bank currency bands, and multiple guns.
    — Mary Ella Hastings July 3, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 July 2026
  • Even before the war started, Iran’s economy was in dismal shape with the crash of the currency and soaring inflation.
    — Elizabeth Robinson, NBC news, 3 July 2026
Definition of currency
Noun
  • So with a few exceptions, oil changes at Rohrman Automotive Group dealers are fifty bucks, for full synthetic oil up to seven quarts.
    — Ed Garsten, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026
  • These travelers aren't interested in roughing it to save a few bucks either.
    — Kathleen Wong, USA Today, 29 June 2026
Definition of bucks

Browse Nearby Words

legally
legal tender
legate
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Cite this Entry

“Legal tender.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/legal%20tender. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on legal tender

Nglish: Translation of legal tender for Spanish Speakers

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