as in money
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
a politician who seems more interested in pelf than in policy
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Recent Examples of pelf
Thomasine and Bushrod join up (as sheriffs relate) and share their pelf with Mexicans, Native Americans, other Black people, and poor white people.
—
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 13 May 2022
Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 13 May 2022
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pelf
Noun
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Richins declined to testify at the trial, where the prosecution painted her as a killer set on taking her husband's money.—
Emily Mae Czachor,
CBS News,
17 Mar. 2026
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Iza held the victim at gunpoint and demanded the business partner transfer money to him — which the business partner did later that day, documents filed in Los Angeles federal court show.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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If no one wins the jackpot, the cash prize will keep ticking up.—
Fernando Cervantes Jr,
USA Today,
15 Mar. 2026
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The appropriation, which came as part of the President’s domestic-spending bill, has kept ICE flush with cash during the shutdown.—
Jonathan Blitzer,
New Yorker,
15 Mar. 2026
Noun
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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,
13 Mar. 2026
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The study’s first author is doctoral researcher Kevin Velasquez, who tested the coated cathodes using coin cells commonly used in low-power electronics such as watches and calculators.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Mar. 2026
Noun
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This comes as rapid shifts in equities, currencies and commodities forced investors to unwind positions across global markets.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
18 Mar. 2026
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Violence in Iran Tens of thousands of Iranians protested in the streets after their currency crashed at the end of last year.—
Caitlin McGlade,
Charlotte Observer,
17 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Kin, in contrast, bucks contemporary expectations by hewing to older ones.—
Lily Meyer,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
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At just 158 bucks under $40 Grand, this 2026 Subaru Crosstrek Sport Hybrid SUV might be the best buy on the automotive planet.—
Tony Leopardo,
Mercury News,
10 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pelf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pelf. Accessed 21 Mar. 2026.
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