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
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of wampum
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
There is a really quite amazing scene when Civility and Satcheechoe take a string of wampum and wrap it around the Pennsylvania governor’s arm to symbolically pull him to Albany to meet with all the Native people who have become involved in this case.
—Karin Wulf, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Apr. 2021
Not only were these beads a coveted status symbol, but the powerful Mohawk of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (or Five Nations Iroquois) of what is now upstate New York, raided coastal peoples who did not furnish wampum for Haudenosaunee rituals.
—National Geographic, 19 Nov. 2020
Many of his pieces are horizontal, recalling the forms of early panoramic art and the woven wampum belts that are a cultural touchstone of his people.
—New York Times, 4 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for wampum
Ben McGrath, The New Yorker, 3 July 2023
There is a really quite amazing scene when Civility and Satcheechoe take a string of wampum and wrap it around the Pennsylvania governor’s arm to symbolically pull him to Albany to meet with all the Native people who have become involved in this case.
—Karin Wulf, Smithsonian Magazine, 28 Apr. 2021
Not only were these beads a coveted status symbol, but the powerful Mohawk of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (or Five Nations Iroquois) of what is now upstate New York, raided coastal peoples who did not furnish wampum for Haudenosaunee rituals.
—National Geographic, 19 Nov. 2020
Many of his pieces are horizontal, recalling the forms of early panoramic art and the woven wampum belts that are a cultural touchstone of his people.
—New York Times, 4 Oct. 2021
See All Example Sentences for wampum
Recent Examples of Synonyms for wampum
Noun
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Drummond pulled out a pistol, pointed it at a store employee and demanded the money in the cash register, according to court documents.—
Emma Tucker,
CNN Money,
6 Aug. 2025
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The foundations raise private money from students’ families and other donors to fill in gaps in programming, supplies and other needs at schools that aren’t covered by state funding.—
Kristen Taketa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
6 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The alternative is the Tier 3 cash payment option, which will be a share of the settlement after administration costs and claims are received.—
Cheryl V. Jackson,
IndyStar,
14 Aug. 2025
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Since the poll’s inception in 1998, the average cash gift left by the Tooth Fairy has increased 285% from $1.30 to $5.01 per tooth.—
Medora Lee,
USA Today,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
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In the same way that 16th century bankers and traders had an incentive to use coins (which all had the same face value) with some lower quality metal.—
Mike O'Sullivan,
Forbes.com,
15 Aug. 2025
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Both coins took a hit Thursday, however, after July's wholesale inflation data came in much hotter than expected.—
Tanaya Macheel,
CNBC,
14 Aug. 2025
Noun
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The world’s most valuable digital currency had climbed to roughly $124,380 around 8:30 p.m. EST, according to Coinbase data from TradingView.—
Charles Lloyd Bovaird II,
Forbes.com,
14 Aug. 2025
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After finding the currency and reporting it, the crew cleaned and deodorized the bills and returned all of the loot to the homeowner.—
Kirby Adams,
The Courier-Journal,
12 Aug. 2025
Noun
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While the wildly funny banter between Byrne and Rogen produce comedic gold, there’s an unwillingness to allow any of these characters to really plumb their dark places (case in point, MacFarlene’s Jeopardy!-obsessed lawyer who undergoes a change that gets resolved too easily).—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
7 Aug. 2025
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There are also gold vermeil styles, which combine a sterling silver base with a gold overlay, and sterling silver hoops plated in gold.—
Lauren Alexis Fisher,
Footwear News,
7 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Wampum.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wampum. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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