wampum

noun

ˈwäm-pəm How to pronounce wampum (audio)
Definition of wampumnext
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 made some real wampum on that last business deal

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 wampum Today, Mohegan Tribal Elder, Beth Regan presented Alissa Pili gifts from the Mohegan Tribe including a wampum necklace to honor her journey into the @WNBA as and Indigenous woman. — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 20 May 2024 Entering the New-York Historical Society from Central Park West, all visitors come upon a section of wampum belt and the kind of statement that in the last several years has become standard fare at cultural institutions. — Marc Tracy, New York Times, 16 Mar. 2024 Similar stories played out with other forms of money, such as wampum beads. — Dave Birnbaum, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 Some of their gear—a pair of shoes, a VHF radio, a wampum sash worth several thousand dollars—now resides on the canal’s bottom. — Ben McGrath, The New Yorker, 3 July 2023 See All Example Sentences for wampum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wampum
  1. money
  2. cash
  3. coin
  4. currency
  5. bucks
  6. gold
Noun
  • Higher mortgage rates are also giving buyers leverage to press sellers for money to buy down their rate for a few years or for the life of the loan, reducing their overall borrowing costs.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
  • The halftime show began in partnership with The Salvation Army in 1997 as a way to raise money for the long-standing charity.
    — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 25 Oct. 2026
Definition of money
Noun
  • For founders sitting atop a mountain of stock, that beats selling shares, paying tax, and then giving away the cash.
    — Diane Brady, Fortune, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Strategists in both parties said that this redistricting scramble has changed how donors are being approached for state legislative races — rarely the first places where the largest political funders send their cash.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of cash
Noun
  • For instance, the outcome of a coin toss seems random at first.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 23 Oct. 2026
  • As a character Chigurh is particularly illustrative of this worldview, often reducing the fate of other characters to a coin toss.
    — Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of coin
Noun
  • Yet Kwan adds that most traditional-finance institutions don’t accommodate these digital currencies.
    — Angelica Ang, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The behavior reframes affordability as a form of social currency.
    — Ashley Lynch, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of currency
Noun
  • The film even spawned a three-film franchise, with the entire trilogy eventually pulling in over one billion dollars in box office bucks.
    — Emily Maskell, IndieWire, 22 Oct. 2026
  • Parker McCollum has spent years chasing big whitetail bucks with his bow.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of bucks
Noun
  • Measuring just a few nanometres, the molecule can attach to gold surfaces through sulfur atoms.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
  • The room is a design flex of its own — velvet banquettes, rich purples, cerulean blues, gold and marble, with art exclusively by women.
    — Heidi Finley, Charlotte Observer, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of gold

Browse Nearby Words

waltz (up)
wampum
wan
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Cite this Entry

“Wampum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wampum. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on wampum

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about wampum

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