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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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 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
-
Trump has vowed to spend his own money to pay for the ballroom, but the project has drawn criticism for its massive size.—
Kathryn Palmer,
USA Today,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Opponents of Johnson’s added into the budget an expectation that the city would earn $6 million from the technology, though Johnson’s administration argued the city could not responsibly count on the money.—
Jake Sheridan,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Sun Pharma plans to fund the acquisition through a mix of internal cash and financing from banks.—
Baiju Kalesh,
Bloomberg,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The irregular flow of cash will distort their financial reports and could deepen mistrust that the county has adequate guardrails to properly account for where taxpayers’ money is ending up.—
A.D. Quig,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
In these kinds of experiments, participants are told to practice physical activities—finger tapping, coin tossing, dart throwing with a nondominant hand—within their dreams.—
Shayla Love,
New Yorker,
1 May 2026
-
The coins were initially discovered by two metal detectorists in a field near the Norwegian city of Rena in the region of Østerdalen, according to the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage.—
Claire Cameron,
Scientific American,
1 May 2026
Noun
-
Those who join now can use the code PCAMER26 by December 31, 2026, to earn up to 4,000 bonus Avios (Qatar Airways’s rewards currency) to use on upcoming flights, upgrades, and extra baggage allowances.—
Jamie Spain,
Condé Nast Traveler,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The courts in the past have held — and usually not framed in terms of DEI policies; this was prior to that term gaining currency — but courts have been skeptical about giving the FCC authority over Equal Employment Opportunity policies as a basis for license decisions.—
Josef Adalian,
Vulture,
28 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Thirty-six thousand fans on a school day, with San Diego gas at six bucks a gallon.—
Tom Krasovic,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
30 Apr. 2026
-
This small-space-friendly set costs under $100, but feels like a million bucks.—
Shea Simmons,
Southern Living,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pelf.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pelf. Accessed 4 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
