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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In addition to hiring ambassadors, money will also go toward adding staffers in the security operations center, which collects feeds from more than 2,000 cameras, and security guards who are typically law enforcement.—
Sacbee.com,
Sacbee.com,
7 Apr. 2026
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Flipcause, based in California, was used by thousands of nonprofits nationwide to process online donations, allowing money to be collected on the platform before being transferred to individual organizations.—
Kelly Werthmann,
CBS News,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Without them, some important objects can remain hidden forever; a waste of human effort and money — and much of that sponsorship cash comes from taxpayer funds and the generous gifts of donors who trust the museum to share its collection with its community.—
Ray Mark Rinaldi,
Denver Post,
6 Apr. 2026
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Money divested from Israel would be given out as cash gifts so that newly married couples could buy homes.—
Antonia Hitchens,
New Yorker,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Saturday’s game against Illinois is projected as a coin flip, largely due to the emergence of All-American freshman guard Keaton Wagler, whose potential hadn’t yet been realized when the Huskies held him to just three points back in November.—
Joe Arruda,
Hartford Courant,
3 Apr. 2026
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No coins required — calls are free.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
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This occurred after tens of thousands of Iranians protested at the end of last year after their currency crashed.—
Charlotte Observer,
Charlotte Observer,
7 Apr. 2026
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To be sure, cracks in the petrodollar’s foundation is still far from the currency becoming irrelevant.—
Sasha Rogelberg,
Fortune,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
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For some street vendors like Eric Parks on the North Shore, the return of the Bucs means bucks.—
Patrick Damp,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
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No matter, this is his first real walk of shame, and the grin on his face is worth a million bucks.—
Erin Qualey,
Vulture,
30 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pelf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pelf. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
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